Zi-O: Time of the Beast Wars
by fanficmaster2.0
Summary: Logan Briggs is 16 years old in high school. But despite being an outcast, he's destined to be king. When he learns he becomes a tyrant in the future, it's up to him to set things right. And when a force from a distant future and distant world comes to his, he must inherit the power of all past Riders and surpass them. He is the ultimate Kamen Rider... Zi-O! Approved by Stone-Man85
1. Chapter 0000

**_Author's Note: Hey, everyone, fanficmaster2.0 here, coming at you with a new story: a crossover between Kamen Rider Zi-O and Transformers: Beast Wars/Beast Machines. I bet you are all asking, "Didn't you already make a crossover of Transformers with Build?" Well, to answer those who are curious and asking the question, yes, I did. But_** ** _this_** ** _crossover is with the Beast Wars Tv show timeline, where time was screwed up by both the Predacons and the Demon King Zi-O, and all the previous Riders' lives have been altered. Anyway, half the premise of this story was inspired by Stone-Man85's "Beast Wars", and was given the okay by the user himself when I asked to make this story based off of his. Oh, and I'll also be adding a few others from the Transformers universe; Beastformers from the Transformers Headmasters 1980s anime, and a few guest appearances of the Animorphs and Visionaries (I was looking for anything with beasts as the main focus). This will also star characters from the other crossovers I am planning, including Build Up and Roll Out. But it focuses more on Beast Wars and Zi-O. I hope you all enjoy it! Oh, PS: I will be using the both the Beast Wars and Beast Hunters Predacon logos. All will be explained in due time. Enjoy the chapter!_**

 _ **Chapter 0000:** **The Beast Wars of Time Begin! Part 1:**_

 ** _A New and Unknown Era!_**

 _Time… the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole. Is it a mere illusion that can never truly be measured as Einstein suggested? An astral plane of existence without end? Or is there something more to it than what we have yet to grasp?_

 _As time began with the universe, creatures have been born and have evolved. Small groups of people grew into vast and thriving civilizations. Peaceful races adapted into strong warriors. However, as these warriors appear, many have grown ambitious, arrogant and evil, destroying anyone or anything that would stand in their path. However, as these threats appear, time seems to make sure there will be a hero to rise up against them._

 _This is the tale of the Kamen Riders; masked heroes who started out as ordinary people, but have gotten themselves caught in the crossfire between the war of good and evil. These armored heroes gave fought tooth and nail against those with dark intentions and would be allied with other heroes defending the weak and innocent. Time has passed, and the Kamen Riders - as well as their tales of justice and heroism - have faded into legend, one that shall be remembered throughout all of time._

 _But now, time has been broken; two new threats from the future have awoken to change the past and rule all of time. One threat from our world and a nearby future: the Demon King of Time, who plans on making himself the forever ruler of time and space, and wipe the Kamen Riders from the history books. The other from another world and a much farther future: the Darksyders, who have dark intentions of gathering a special energy source to conquer not just Earth, but the entire universe. Together, these two new threats could destroy the Kamen Riders, their allies, and Earth. But now, a certain young man has arrived, who had once dreamt of being king, but changes his fate to become the light of hope for all free people. This young man is the key to bring back the legacy and legend of the Kamen Riders, and the one who'll put a stop to the Demon King and the Darksyders' reign of destruction. He is the ultimate hero: Kamen Rider… Zi-O!_

* * *

Over nine million years ago, in the deep recesses of space, lied prehistoric Earth. The continents were spread apart, but they still had a long way to go if they are to grow into the lands with the vast civilizations of today. But what was most peculiar about Earth is that it had _two_ moons in orbit. In due time, the past will fade away into the history books. However, Earth's past will soon be visited by a war; a war between the forces of good and evil from another world set in the far future. A war where the Earth will never be the same again. It was then when the peaceful darkness of space was disturbed by a warp, as if reality was being torn through by another force. Out of the warp came two gigantic ships; one of them looking like some sort of sinister-looking insect, while the one following it looked like the skull of some mammal-like creature. The two ships seemed to be in all-out gunfight as both were hitting each other with energy beams, with the following ship taking more damage than it was dealing. Within the ships were multiple robots piloting them, with the ones in the following ship struggling to fight back.

"Ah! Hull breach in Sector 7!" One robot who was blue and yellow spoke up as he looked at the ship system readings, "Guidance systems failing!"

"Ugh!" Another robot who was small, bronze and gray groaned in a combination of disappointment, annoyance and terror, "Oh, man, this is ridiculous! W-we're an exploration ship, not a battlecruiser!"

"Eh… no choice… our ship was the only one close by that could lock onto Megatron's warp signature!" And another who was dark gray with a white face and red optics.

"Shields are doin' a major fade!" The yellow robot warned them.

"Plasma cannons to full power, now!" The gray robot ordered as a green and brown robot shifted a lever to maximize their ship's firepower. The cannons outside the ship then popped out and began to charge up.

On the ship they were chasing, the robots inside were having less trouble than the other as they fired at the others with all they've got. However, they seemed to be toying with their pursuers as they fired very little shots to do a lot of damage.

"Their shields are down; DESTROY THEM!" A brown robot with a blue face demanded, having just about enough of their pursuers.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" A purple robot replied rhetorically, wanting this to last a little longer, "A little torment, I think, first. Yess. Side guns!"

The ship in front then slowed down, making the other fly right next to it as they orbited the outer atmosphere. The chased ship then raised a few cannons from its topside before locking onto the enemy, then firing energy projectiles. The chasing ship then wound up with large holes on its port side, making the robots inside lose control and set a crash course down towards prehistoric Earth, yelling in a panic.

"Ah! Rupture; the stasis hold is failing!" The yellow robot exclaimed in panic before seeing even more bad news on the computer screen, "And if that isn't bad enough, we lost our main engine, backup power, and one of our cannons! We're sitting cyber ducks out here!"

Just when things weren't bad enough, an alarm went off. This one sounded a bit more severe as it was eerie and red lights were flashing.

This alarm made the bronze robot groan out, "Oh, what the scrappin' hell now?!"

The yellow robot searched for the cause of the alarm at his console. One he did this, though, he saw that ship had a trajectory course, plotted towards Earth.

"Oh no!" He yelled in distress as he tried to fix anything with the console before ranting, "We're caught in the nearby planet's gravitational pull!"

"Argh!" The green robot grunted, "We're going down."

"Ergh! Then we're down to one last option: convert power to stasis bay and launch all pods. Get the crew all into safe orbit!" The gray robot said before approaching what seemed to be a microphone for an intercom, "Attention, all Maximals! Get to the stasis bay and launch all pods! We're in an emergency evacuation of the ship!" He ordered his fellow crew members.

"What?! Have you lost your servos?!" The gray and bronze robot exclaimed in shock, "If we do that, they'll get pulled down to that water-covered rock! As a matter of slaggin' fact, we don't know if they'll even survive the crash landing!"

"You and I both know that evacuation is part of the procedure for these types of situations!" The gray robot countered the bronze one's claim with a glare, "Besides, it's less risky than being in here when the ship could blow at any minute."

The crew member sighed in defeat as he observed the computer and saw pod-like images slowly lighting up one by one. Once he saw all of them light up, he pressed a few buttons and flipped a few switches that made the computer speak out in a male digital voice, **_"STASIS PODS LAUNCHING."_**

As the two ships approached Earth, pod-like machines shot out of the pursuing ship, all of which heading down to the planet. As this happened, the chasing ship was left spinning in circles, plummeting to the prehistoric planet with the formerly chased ship chasing their pursuers. As the gray robot hoped for the pods to make it safely down to Earth, he asked, "Is that everyone?"

"Yeah, that's everyone, Boss Bot!" The bronze robot confirmed with a nod before the commander asked another question.

"And the plasma cannons?" He said, thinking the spinning might provide them a temporary advantage.

"All charged up, Optimus!" The green robot nodded in confirmation, making the commander make a determined look.

"Good, fire on my mark," He said as the ship rotated back towards the enemy ship, opening the window of opportunity he was waiting for, "All plasma cannons, FIRE!"

The main cannon in the front of the ship then shot large, rapid bursts of energy beams that hit the front and sides of the bug-like ship, as well as the engines. The enemy ship was then hurdling down towards the Earth at an alarming rate as the enemy leader yelled in shock and panic.

"Argh!" He groaned in anger as one of the ship's wings broke off and both ships entered Earth's atmosphere, "NOO! This can't be happening! This _shouldn't_ be happening!"

The ship's alarms all started going off as the control terminals shorted out and only a _few_ systems were left still functional. The crew in the ship scurried all over the ship, doing what they can to keep it up in space, but to little avail, as the purple enemy leader demanded answers, "Damage report!"

"Eh, we lost two of our fuel tanks and all power in our engines, and now we're plummeting towards the planet!" A purple robot with a yellow visor read the damage report in a creepy, raspy voice, "And we have a hull breach in Sectors 2, 5, 8, and 9!"

"Nine?! NO!" Megatron shouted in shock, knowing that there something in that ship's sector was important as he brought up a holographic computer screen, "Computer, status report in Sector Nine! Are the Golden Disk and the Key still on board?!"

 ** _"THE GOLDEN DISK IS FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND IS SAFELY SECURED, CONNECTED AND BACKED UP TO THE SHIP'S COMPUTER,"_** A female computerized voice replied, making the purple robot sigh in relief, **_"BUT THE KEY HAS FALLEN THROUGH A HOLE IN THE HULL AND IS BEING PULLED DOWN BY GRAVITY TO THE PLANET'S SURFACE."_**

That last statement made the leading enemy robot's eyes wide open as he pulled up another screen, one showing the outside of the ship. The screen showed another pod-like object hurtling towards Earth. This one was more peculiar compared to the previous pods because the top of it was molded into the front of a female human being with the hands holding together in the front of her chest and an eye insignia on its side. The sight of this shocked the leader; he and his men went through _a lot_ of trouble to steal not only the "Golden Disk" he mentioned, but also what was in the pod.

 _"AHH, NOOOOOOO!"_ He screamed in frustration, not wanting to lose that pod.

However, it was too late for them anyway as both ships started to burn up upon going through the atmosphere. The two ships, both shaking from internal _and_ external explosions, veered away from each other and headed towards two locations far away from each other: the chasing ship was heading towards two mountains close to each other in a large area that would be called California today, and the enemy ship was heading towards the continent that would soon be named Africa. As blazing meteors, the two ships broke the sound barrier, catching the attention of many creatures, including the early stage of man. The creatures all saw the ships about to crash into the surface as the crew of each vessel prepared for a crash landing.

"Ugh… we're coming in too fast!" The yellow robot yelled in an alarmed tone.

"Everyone, brace for impact!" The commander said right before the ship crashed into the mountains, getting wedged into two spires that would almost connect to each other. The ship let out smoke as the crew of robots went offline. The enemy ship landed actually didn't land on the surface, but rather under a mountain with a large entrance at the base. The ship was landed on the ground and skidded into the opening with the rear end of the ship flipping upwards with the right wing sticking out of the ground and the other landing just outside the base. The place appeared volcanic as the robots within went offline like the others. The pod from earlier then hurdled to a location near the formerly pursuing ship before smashing into the surface. The two ships and the pod were never to be seen again as they sat in their resting places for years. The years then turned into decades, from decades into centuries, from centuries into millions of years. But as one door closes, another is bound to open…

Let us turn our view from the past, to the chaotic world of the future…

* * *

 ** _MILLIONS OF YEARS LATER; WASHINGTON D.C.; FORMER WASHINGTON MONUMENT LOCATION; SEPTEMBER 2, 2068_**

* * *

In what used to be the location of the Washington Monument, twenty statues and giant clock stood tall. Nineteen of the statues stood around the twentieth, all of them being armored warriors from the world's past, surrounding a stone clock behind the last statue. The last one appeared to one of a teenage boy, approximately eighteen years of age as it stood on a pedestal that read _"In honor of His Majesty's first transformation."_ However, it is not just the statues that are most peculiar. All around the monument was chaos. The Washington monument appears to be destroyed and in pieces, and everything around it - every building, vehicle and everything else nearby - was reduced to rubble. The green grass and flora in the area died out years ago, and the soil had turned into dry dirt. The cause of this chaos was not a matter of what, but a matter of who?

Standing in front of the monumental statues, a man stood, facing away from it. But this was no ordinary man. This man wore regal yet demonic-looking armor, colored in black and gold. His body was mostly black with a giant watch band going from his chest down to in front of his legs. His shoulders looked like wings of an eagle colored black with golden patterns, and his arms were mostly black with golden bands and slot-like wristbands. His matching legs were golden on the sides, on the rim of his boots and at the toe of the shoes, with golden watch knobs as knee armor. A golden watch band went diagonally down to his left waist from his left shoulder like a bandolier, while the right shoulder, along with the right side of his chest, held black watch-like devices, and on his back, a large set of two hands of time: hours and minutes, acting almost like a cape. His helmet was black with a gold rim on his face, two golden hands set at 2:00 and 10:00 with three golden clocks on the forehead, a silver symbol in Katakana Japanese having an arrow pointing out, and red visor saying "Rider" in Katakana Japanese in a bold, sharp font, all of which protected by a spiked black and gold neck guard. On the right side of his head was a golden knob, like that of an old wristwatch. Around his waist was a golden belt designed after a watch with a red screen spelling out 2018. This was the dark tyrant who could bend time and space to his will. The very being who brought the very chaos that destroyed the world of 2068. This was the Demon King of Time…

 _…Oma Zi-O…!_

 _カメン= "Kamen" = "Masked"_

 _ライダー = "Rider"_

This man stepped a few feet away from the monument, as if he was more than prepared for something. And for good reason; an army of people charged at him, whether on foot or in vehicles. These people were the resistance who fought against the tyrannical rule of Oma Zi-O and his dark forces. They were all dressed in black with very little coloration as they wielded machine guns and fired at Oma Zi-O.

 _"CHARGE!"_ A soldier yelled as they got closer and closer to the Demon King, not letting up on the shooting.

However, the bullets did not even hit Oma Zi-O, as every shot seemed to have exploded a few yards on all sides. Deciding he had enough of these weaklings, Oma Zi-O raised his right arm and flicked his hand up, palm towards the sky. When he did this, a shockwave hit everyone charging at him, causing explosions that brought them down to the ground. No matter how hard they were trying, they didn't seem to have the power push forward after that attack. The Demon King then heard screeching sounds before turning his head and seeing a barrage of missiles heading his way. But that failed given that he used his dark power to freeze the missiles in place. That's when he noticed a giant, cycloptic robot about to step on him; of course, this was just a number of them about to attack them. Oma Zi-O didn't let up though. He threw the first robot far away and used his dark powers to take them out one by one. Once all the robots were annihilated in explosions, he then froze time again with his right hand as more showed up. He then looked at the resistance fighters, feeling very little pity for them as they struggled to get back on their feet. Seeing that continuing even after they've been beaten shows him how pathetic they all were.

 ** _"You damned fools could never defeat me,"_** Oma Zi-O said in a deep, regal yet demonic voice, **_"And do you know why?"_**

Oma Zi-O then flung his arm to chest creating another shockwave. This one was different from the first given that it didn't just destroy everything that was trying to kill him, but wiped from existence completely. The weapons, robots and people began to fade into dust, and almost caught one of them if weren't for another man.

"Tsukuyomi, duck!" The very man said as he pushed a woman into an underground crevice, having her avoid the slaughter. Everyone who was wiped from existence screamed, but barely anyone could hear them as the sounds faded from reality.

Oma Zi-O had won yet another battle in this war, continuing his iron-fist rule in 2068. The Demon King then turned back towards his monument at the statue in the center. He approached the statue as he lifted his right hand up to look into his palm. Oma Zi-O stared into an oval-shaped locket with a sun and moon engraved together on it. He opened the locket and it revealed a picture of a group of people split into two, with the boy who was the statue in the center split into two; the people within included a twenty-two year-old white-American woman with black hair wearing a sea foam green shirt and torn jeans with grease stains, an elderly man with matching hair but with tan skin, wearing brown glasses, a black sweater vest with white and blue patterns and gray pants, a eighteen-year old boy with dark skin, short black hair designed in dreadlocks wearing a red T-shirt, a eighteen-year old white girl with white hair in all gothic black, two Native American teens, one a boy with black hair wearing a blue-checkered shirt and a girl with matching hair in a ponytail wearing a yellow shirt with an eagle on it, an ash-blonde-haired Japanese girl dressed in a sky blue kimono with a sword on her back, another Japanese girl with light brown hair wearing a red kimono with white crane on the shoulders, a light-blue-haired girl wearing a dark blue zip-up jacket over an azure shirt with dolphins on it who was hugging the final boy in the center, a young man wearing a white shirt and wearing a silver watch. He looked down into the picture with a thoughtful look on his face beneath his helmet. Oma Zi-O wouldn't show it, but he knew the people in this picture were important to him in some way. His thoughts then became solemn as he closed and gripped the locket tightly. He considered the people irrelevant now. He didn't need them, or anyone. He turned back around and stared back at the chaos he created before speaking one last time.

 ** _"I'm sorry, my friends…"_**

Oma Zi-O said solemnly, _**"But now, I can't be stopped… Even if you all could change the past…"  
**_

* * *

 ** _50 YEARS EARLIER; DIVINITY CITY, CALIFORNIA; PRESENT DAY; SEPTEMBER 1, 2018  
_**

* * *

We now turn our attention from the future to a present-day Earth. Humanity has evolved into an advanced civilization that has mastered technology. It has been age of peace and prosperity, one that has flourished throughout the majority of the world. And our story begins in a bustling metropolis in East Coast: Divinity City, California, a thriving community with thriving people; once a small town that erupted into a metropolis that had basically everything within its borders: a shopping mall, movie theaters, museums, neighborhoods, a zoo, a beach and even its own race track. But our story doesn't start at any of these places. It starts at Divinity City High School - or DCHS - Engineering Class, where one student's life will change forever.

A light-skinned boy with blue eyes and brown hair stared at the teacher as he taught the lesson. He was about eighteen years old and wore a blue-white button-up shirt and torn jeans, and he appeared to be in a trance instead of actually listening to the teacher. Right next to him was an African-American boy about eighteen years old with blue eyes and short black hair in dreadlocks, wearing a red T-shirt and dark gray shorts, and he noticed his friend staring off into space.

"Yo, Logan," He whispered, trying to get him out of his trance, "Earth to Logan Briggs. You there?"

"Huh, uh… wha…?" That last sentence manages to bring his friend back to reality before he looked at his friend, "Oh hey, Oliver."

"You okay, Logan?" He asked in concern, still trying to remain as quiet as possible, "You seemed out of it there for a second."

"Uh, sorry," Logan apologized as he whispered back, "Just thinking about Project: Mountain Run. It's gonna be exciting to get up onto the mountains."

"You said it, my man," Oliver smirked in agreement, though not sure if that was the real cause, "Once we finish getting the machines built, we'll be kings of the Twin Fang Mountains."

"Hey, since we're on the subject, what do we need to finish the Mountain Runners?" Logan asked, not wanting anything to go sideways.

"Just a few nuts and bolts, some snacks, water bottles and some gas in case we get stranded on the mountain," Oliver listed down the to-do list, "Other than that, we'll be good as gold."

"Nice!" Logan silently exclaimed

"Briggs, Shepard, no talking during class," The voice of the teacher, a man in his late 40s, told them to be quiet. The two friends then remained quiet for the lesson to finish before the classroom began to shake violently, shaking everything in the room and knocking a few things over.

"Earthquake! Everyone, under your desks and take cover!" He shouted and everyone obliged. Everyone dropped what they were doing and took cover underneath their desks to avoid getting hurt by any falling objects. However, Logan and Oliver took this as an opportunity to continue their chat.

"So, what were you really thinking about, Logan?" Oliver asked suspiciously, trying to find out what Logan was really thinking about.

"Uh… it's, uh… it's nothing, really, it's just…" Logan sighed, "I just wish we could take them and just leave this place for good."

"Pfft, like hell we are, man," Oliver scoffed at that statement, "You, me, Zeke and Nikki are gonna be stuck in this hell hole until we're nothing but bones."

Logan and Oliver laughed a bit at the joke as the tremors kept going, putting them into a state of annoyance.

"I swear, man, this is, like, the 40th damned quake in the past month," Oliver said in suspicion.

"I'll say, these tremors have been going non-stop," Logan gritted his teeth, "I just hope they'll end soon."

At the time, it wasn't just the school being shaken up, but the entire city. Divinity City was acting like a giant snow globe, only without the fuzzy snow. The zoo animals were getting upset and riled up by the earthquake and the zookeepers and animal experts tried to calm them down. The tremors also caused the river that led into the city from the ocean to create waves on both sides. It's because of these earthquakes that the city has lost thirteen small buildings within the past month. Most people in the city didn't really care about it as earthquakes were common on the East Coast, usually just small ones. But these earthquakes, beyond the humans' understanding, weren't natural. Something was causing them, something big.

After the tremors passed, Logan, Oliver and the rest of the class resumed their lesson. The class soon ended and the two friends finished up their final classes left the main building. Logan and Oliver were just about to leave but were stopped by the sound of someone they knew.

"Hey, you guys!"

A familiar female voice called out to them and they turned to the direction of the source. They saw two people they recognized as friends. One was a Native American boy with green eyes and black hair wearing a blue checkered shirt and white shorts. The other was a girl who was also Native American with black hair, but with brown eyes, and her hair was in a ponytail, while she wore a yellow shirt with a black eagle on the front with denim jeans. The two approached Oliver and Logan as they smiled.

"Ezekiel and Nicole Bishop, the Wonder Twins of disaster," Logan joked as he and Oliver laughed. The Bishop kids frowned at that remark smirked playfully as they shot back at Logan.

"Whatever you say, 'Your Highness,' Logan Briggs," Ezekiel, or Zeke as they call him, joked back, making Logan blush in embarrassment.

"Yes, it's always good to hear from the 'king' and his royal advisor, Oliver Shepard," Nicole, or Nikki as they call her, added, making the four friends laugh hysterically.

"O-Okay, you got us there," Logan said with a chuckle, "Can't believe you guys used my old childhood dream against me."

"Well, it's funny when you think about it, Logan," Zeke smiled in amusement.

"Yeah, it's been eleven whole years and yet that childhood dream of yours still has us laughing," Nikki added with another chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Logan shook his head and rolled his eyes before changing the subject, "You guys all ready to finish Project: Mountain Run for this weekend?"

"Hell yeah, we are," Zeke gave his friend a thumbs-up, "We'll see who's laughing when these people see us high on the mountains! No one can stop us now!"

"You sure about that, dweebs?" They all heard a familiar voice and it was one they'd rather forget. The group of friends turned up towards the school entrance and saw three male 18-year-old teens, most likely seniors. These three had gym bags hanging by the shoulders stuffed with sporting equipment, so most likely, these were the school's jocks. However, Logan and his friends recognized them as nothing but the school's biggest bullies, AKA the Brutal Brothers.

Axel Walker: the source of the voice came this muscular, brown-eyed, white-skinned teen who wore a white jersey with the number one in black, white shorts and red shoes. Axel is the leader of the Brutal Brothers and the school's star quarterback for the football team. Logan and the others all both scowled and shuddered at the sight of him, knowing of his misdeeds towards them and other students. Logan was always the primary target, given how much Axel hated him. Born into a rich family in an A-Class neighborhood, he always looked down upon the more common people in the city, therefore he saw people like Logan as nothing but parasites mingling in the halls of a school that he considered to be only for the rich kids. What's more irritating to him is that Logan never quits and he keeps coming back, making it more difficult for Axel to tolerate him being _remotely_ close. And that also goes for Logan's friends since they hung around him so much.

Jonas Dalton: equally muscular with green eyes, tan skin and blonde hair, wearing the same jersey with the number eleven, black sunglasses, black fingerless gloves and shoes, and gray gym shorts. He's Walker's right-hand man and a bit of gossip man and propaganda starter. The man has always started to make false rumors about everyone in the school, usually to keep the Brutal Brothers' names out of the mud. It's one of the reasons why these three troublemakers are almost never in trouble. Jonas would start rumors on anyone about anything: geeks making chemical bombs, skinny dweebs being sociopaths, and little men wanting to control the school with an iron fist. The last one is one of the main reasons Logan hates these three bullies.

Bartholomew Jefferson: a black-haired, blue-eyed Chinese-American boy wearing the same white jersey with the number five in black, black pants, and gray shoes, with a white sweatband on his forehead. Despite the name, Bart prefers to be called "Butch," or as the other kids call him, "The Beast," for his brutal and savage way of playing and forcing the Trio's rules on others. If they don't, Butch gives them the beating of a lifetime, and those who call him by his real name end up being beaten nearly to death. He's basically the enforcer to their little trio of trouble.

The Brutal Brothers stared down at Logan and his friends in both disgust and amusement, thinking these lowlives' dreams of doing something big was just laughable and ironic. The trio of bullies walked down the steps and approached the four friends, trying to make himself look tough and terrifying to them. The friends stepped back a bit, ready to run when things get tough as Logan and Axel stared bitterly at each other before the bully spoke up.

"What would little dweebs like you four expect to find up in those mountains?" He asked rhetorically, "A life as live bait for mountain lions?"

"That, my friend, none of your business," Logan answered.

"Uh… yeah, when it comes to the Dweeb Squadron, it is our business as the top students of the school," Jonas corrected him with a smart-ass, evil grin on his face.

'You're only the top students because you threaten and bully people like they're slaves,' Logan thought hatefully before speaking, "Well, I doubt you guys would be interested…"

"Interested in what?" Butch asked in a mocking tone, "Finding out this dumbass kid is gonna become king on top of the mountain like in The Lion King?"

That last part got Logan's blood boiling. He hated when these people would use his own dreams and thoughts against him.

"Trust us, Briggs, when we say this: the only king you'll ever be is of all the dweebs and outcasts in the world," Axel pointed out, "So why don't you go take your dreams and just toss 'em. Not that anyone and toss 'em!"

Logan and his friends wanted nothing more but to shut this guy up here and now, but they knew they were no match for Axel, let alone all three of them, despite the odds. Logan took a deep breath and decided to ignore these bullies as he turned and walked away.

"Excuse me, where the hell do you think you're going?" Axel asked, feeling insulted by Logan, who ignored him further, "Hey, I asked you question, so _answer me!"_

Logan stopped in his tracks and turned his head at his friends and the Brutal Brothers. He said nothing at first, but after about twenty three seconds of silence, he spoke…

"Come on, guys, they're not worth our time…"

Those words made Oliver, Zeke and Nikki's mouths dropped to the ground, and their eyes widen in shock. They all might have thought these three were nothing but bullies, but until now, not one of them - not even Logan - were bold enough to say something like that within their earshot. This especially shocked the Brutal Brothers, but they were more steamed than surprised as their faces turned red, with Axel's being as red as his boiling blood.

"Oh, that's it!" Axel snapped as he charged at Logan, wanting to put him in his pathetic place, "You're a dead man!"

"Oh, son of a…" Logan nearly cursed before ducking as Axel jumped at him, missing and going through an open car window. He was so large in physique, so Axel could only make it halfway through and get stuck in place. He was dazed by the impact at first, but once he brought himself through, he noticed the situation and saw an elderly woman in the driver seat giving him a surprised look. For some reason, he felt like was in trouble for the first time in a while.

"Uh… hey…" Axel said with an awkward yet sheepish smirk.

"AAAAAGGGHHHH!" The woman screamed in panic before whacking Axel with her purse, "CARJACKER!"

Everyone in front of the school saw this as Axel was struggling to get free, as seen by the waving of his legs. They all laughed at the seen, including Butch and Jonas. But their laughs went away as soon as they realized they would get their asses kicked by Axel if they didn't help him, so they approached Axel's legs and started pulling, but it seemed difficult due to his size.

"Ugh, dude, you seriously need to lay off those sandwiches," Jonas said, struggling to pull his "boss" out of the car.

"You know I can't help it, they're delicious, so SHUT UP AND GET ME OUT OF HERE BEFORE THIS LADY MAKES A SEWING SPOOL OUT OF ME!" Axel yelled in frustration and annoyance

As they continued their pulling, Oliver, Zeke and Nikki continued laughing before seeing Logan stand up and motioned them towards him, telling them to get of out of here. They all followed him off-campus and to their homes, and just in time, too, Jonas and Butch pulled Axel out of the car and landed on their rears. Axel held his head in pain before the old lady threw a small loaf of what looked like zucchini bread at him. The bread hit his forehead and it felt as hard as a rock as he groaned in more pain.

"Ow, what the hell, lady?!" Axel glared at the woman as he rubbed his forehead.

"Next time, think before you carjack!" The woman said before rolling up the window and heading towards the parking lot on the side of the school.

"You okay, boss," Butch asked as they all stood up, rubbing their heads.

"I'll be fine as soon as soon as I find that damned Briggs, and tear him and his friends apart!" Axel seethed as they turned around, only to find Logan and his friends gone.

"Uh… where'd they go, boss?" Butch asked, getting a smack on the back of the head from Axel, knowing it was a stupid question.

About a mile away from the school, Logan and his friends were back in their own neighborhood: a somewhat rural area with some houses surrounding a scrapyard. This was where they live, and normally, it's a mile away from the school, but Logan, Oliver, Nikki and Zeke were familiar with the area, so they found a few shortcuts to the campus and back. Their families said it was okay to use them, as long as they were careful. They all promised they'd be careful, especially about the bullies following them home, not that it was a problem given that only _they_ knew the locations of the shortcuts. The scrapyard they lived around was owned by the small businesses there, namely an auto repair shop owned by Nikki and Zeke's parents and where Logan's sister works, a small robotics factory where Oliver's parents work, and a small clock shop owned by Logan's great uncle Robert.

As they walked towards their homes, they had small smiles on their faces from what happened at school. What happened to the Brutal Brothers has got to be the greatest thing they've ever seen. They never thought Logan would be bold enough to ignore the very bully who's tormented him his entire life and would be lucky enough to dodge his attacker's charge, and make him get stuck in a car window. Although, now it meant that Axel and the others were going to be gunning for him now. As they were about head home, Oliver spoke up.

"Well, that was funny," He said with smirk.

"Yeah, it was," Zeke agreed, "Axel totally got what he deserved!"

"I wouldn't say he got _all_ of what he deserved," Nikki remarked before facing Logan, "Still, it was pretty bold of you to turn him down like that, Logan."

"Thanks, Nikki, but that was mostly payback for taunting me for having a dream, even if it is childish," Logan replied.

"Yeah, about that, during elementary, when we were given an assignment to explain what we want to be when we grew up, didn't you say you wanted to become a king?" Oliver asked in curiosity, remembering how Logan always talked about his dreams of being a king all through elementary to seventh grade.

"Sure did," Logan answered a raised brow, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Well, no, there's nothing wrong with that, but…" Oliver replied, trying find the best "You do realize even kids wouldn't say that anymore, right, my man?"

"Well, yeah, I do, it's just that… well, being a king one day was the only thing I could think of back then," Logan explained is his reasons, "Plus the assignment said it needed no more or less than one hundred letters, and "king" was shorter than "leader".

"Uh-huh, touche," Oliver said.

"Well, regardless…" Zeke interrupted Logan and Oliver's chat by grabbing Logan by the upper arms

"Huh?" Logan quirked his brow in suspicion, fearing Zeke might do something they'll both regret.

"I'm gonna wake you up, man," Zeke said before suddenly karate flipping Logan up and over his backside, making him land a hard landing on his back; Zeke took some self-defense classes that focused on karate during the eighth grade.

"Ow, jeez, Zeke…" Logan groaned as he rubbed his head and back, "What the hell?"

"Sorry, dude," Zeke apologized before reaching his arm out to help Logan up,

"I see your karate technique proves to be superior yet again," Logan groaned as he sat up and faced his friend, with an idea of payback in his mind, "In fact, your skills are so impressive, I'd make you the head of my royal police force!"

Hearing that joke made his friends groan in humor before they all laughed as Zeke helped Logan back onto his feet. As he got up, Zeke said, "So now _you're_ the one using your kid dream as a joke?"

"Yep," Logan nodded, "But seriously, if that dream did become reality, I'd recruit all three of you for your skills."

"For what, Zeke's basic training in karate, and me and Nikki's mechanical skills?" Oliver asked with a raised brow before they reached a small flight of stone stairs next to a driveway leading up to Logan's house.

"We'll never know unless we try," Logan said before standing in front of the steps, "I'll meet you guys at the garage later, just got to do some chores at home and I'll head there to finishing up our little summer project."

"You got it, Logan!" Oliver said before they all brought out their phones and put them together with the timer settings on the screen, "Synchronize timers, gentleman and lady. At 5:30 P.M. tonight at the garage to finish up Project: Mountain Run, and 7:30 A.M. in the morning, we bring it up to the mountain and commence it!"

"YEAH!" The friends yelled in thrill as they synchronized their phones for the time of Project: Mountain Run before they all went their separate ways, heading to their respective homes.

"See you all later, dudes," Zeke said as he and Nikki went to their house to make preparations.

"Ta-ta, for now, mi compadres!" Oliver exclaimed before heading to his house.

"See you real soon, guys," Logan smiled before walking up the stairs to his house. However, as he got closer, he noticed something shiny on the rail of the steps. He got closer and saw it was a black, circular, metallic object that looked a bit out of place with, well, everything. It had a clear case on top of it, revealing what looked like advance technology within, and a button on the edge. Logan looked at it curiously, wondering why it was near his house the first place.

"What is this thing?" He asked aloud as he looked around the rural area, but there was nobody nearby who could have left it. He picked it up and examined it, filling him with even more curiosity as he didn't recognize it from anywhere.

"It's probably just a toy…" Logan suggested before placing on top of a nearby bench, "Someone's probably looking for you, so it's best you stay there. Says the guy talking to an inanimate object."

Logan then walked up to his house, unaware that he was being watched at more than one angle. First, a giant, red and yellow mechanical being with a circular head appeared out of a nearby corner and peaked towards Logan, watching his every move.

 _"There you are, Oma Zi-O,"_ The robot spoke silently, _"Your time is up…"_

Another watcher soon appeared; an eighteen-year-old girl wearing all white, including a white choker, and a black set of pants. She watched Logan take off his shoes and head into the house.

"Zi-O…" She said silently, with determination in her voice, "No matter how long it will take, I will guide you from the dark path you were meant to cross."

At another angle, a man in his 20s dressed in gray wearing a scarf hood over black hair came out of the shadows, holding and reading a book while also watching Logan Briggs enter his house. He stared at the house with a smile on his face before closing his book shut.

"My king, soon you will realize your childhood dream will soon be a reality," He proclaimed before walking back into the shadows.

At our final angle, three figures were also in the shadows, watching Logan from afar in both disgust and determination.

"Well, hello, demon king," The first one said in an almost childish voice, "I think it's time someone else claimed your throne."

"It's time for a new king to rise up and control time," The second said in a female voice as she puts a lollipop in her mouth.

"Even if the timeline must be broken, _our_ king _will_ rise!" The final one spoke in a stern, adult male tone before reality fritzed out and they all vanished into thin air.

* * *

 ** _TWIN FANG MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA; UNDERNEATH SHADOW MOUNTAIN, AFRICA_**

* * *

On top of the Twin Fang Mountains in California and underneath the dreaded Shadow Mountain in Africa, two ships, both of alien origin laid dormant. However, these ships will soon be awoken by an unknown source in the Twin Fang Mountains, said to contain unimaginable power. The ships started to light up with different symbols; the one in California had a green symbol that resembled a cat's head, while the one in Africa had a violet symbol that resembled the face of an insect-like beast. As this ship lit up like New Years' fireworks, a mysterious object resembling a human female lit up at the eyes.

Little did Logan and his friends know, they were in for the ride of their lives.


	2. Chapter 0001

**_A/N: Hey, it's me again, just wanted to tell you guys I will also be making cameos of Transformers in their various incarnations that did not debut in Beast Wars (with some slight edits to their design). Other than that, that's all I wanted you all, so keep an eye out for them. Enjoy the chapter!_**

 ** _Chapter 0001: The Beast Wars of Time Begin! Part 2:_**

 ** _The Kingdom of 2068!_**

9 To 5 Workshop, the home of Logan Briggs' family and his great uncle's clock shop. It was a medium-sized house with only three levels, though it was big enough for a whole family to live in - the first floor where Logan's uncle houses his business, the main living area and a kitchen, the top and second floor where Logan and his family sleep in three bedrooms, and a basement level that's out for rent. This was the place Logan called his home.

When he approached his house, Logan saw three cars parked in the driveway. The first car was a green tow truck built with a black steel crane and hook with black and yellow caution stripes connected by an orange joint, a black bumper in front of the truck, a silver light bar on top, and more caution lines of the doors of the vehicle, with an orange logo in the back saying "Recycle, Scrap, and Repair," the name of the job that Logan's sister, Rose, works for, so it must've be her work truck. The second vehicle also belonged to Rose, and was a tan four-door jeep wrangler with two seats up front, three in the middle facing forward, and two in the back facing the opposite direction, equipped with a tire on the back door, a violet cover on the top in the back, and tires built for both on-road and off-road terrain. The third car was a black 2006 GMC Topkick, 4500 four-wheel-drive pickup truck with a white clock sticker on the back windshield parked in the garage, which most likely belonged to his great uncle since Logan didn't have a car himself. He was surprised to see his sister's work car here, since she's normally busy picking up, scrapping, repairing or recycling cars for the scrapyard business.

"Huh, didn't know Rose would be home before me today," Logan said with a quirked brow before walking to the front door, passing a sign that read "Rooms Available - Owner".

He entered the house and noticed a caucasian woman in her thirties speaking to a man in his late fifties over a desktop. At a nearby desk, a woman in her twenties was on her laptop going through what seemed to be an article. Logan knew the old man and the young woman as his family.

Robert Colton Briggs: Logan's paternal great uncle and legal guardian. He was a man in his late fifties with black hair, tan skin and blue eyes like Logan, wearing brown glasses, a black sweater vest with white and blue patterns and gray pants, and around his neck was a locket necklace. Robert became Logan and Rose's legal guardian since he was the only living family they had left, and had raised them like they were his own children. And for as long as Logan and Rose can remember, their great uncle has had a fascination with clocks, watches and time itself, as seen by all the clocks on the shop walls. As a matter of fact, he made a business out of it by making, repairing and selling clocks, but despite his interest in the subject, his business also repairs other electronic devices like lamps, record players and others. His career might not bring in the _big bucks,_ but it's enough to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. Logan and his sister feel like they owe their great uncle everything, since he's given them everything they ever needed, especially their love and support for each other. At least Rose has been able to contribute to the family by getting a job herself, but Logan's still unclear on what he wants to do to help. Speaking of whom…

Roseline Diane Briggs: Logan's older sister and mechanic. She is a twenty-two-year-old woman with white skin, green eyes and black hair, wearing a white short-sleeved open jacket with the same logo as the tow truck outside, over a light blue shirt, and torn-up, greasy jeans. Logan's sister worked at the scrapyard, with a job to, as the business' name says, recycle, scrap and repair. Her job involves recycling old parts from cars and other machines and fix them up for new ones, scrapping broken-down equipment and vehicles, and repair any piece of machinery. She took the job to contribute to the family and keep it together. When she graduated from high school, she got acceptance letters from quite a few places, but she decided not to head to any of them just yet, because her sisterly instincts tell her to stay near home and help out, and none of the colleges were closeby.

Logan passed his sister and great uncle, and went into the kitchen behind the shop to grab a snack as Robert examined a radio given to him by the woman he conversing with.

"Ah, I'll have to take a look at it for a while," He said as he signed a date on what day for the woman to pick up the radio, "It might need some parts. I'll have it fixed in two days for you."

"Okay, great," The woman kindly said as she received the date, "Thank you very much, sir!"

"Don't mention it," Robert humbly replied before he started to take a look at the radio as the woman left. Logan then emerged from the kitchen entrance holding a strawberry go-gurt before calling out to his family.

"Uncle Robert, Rose, I'm home!" He caught their attention, and they had smiles on their faces at the sight of him.

"Oh, hey, little bro," Rose greeted him with a wave as he opened his go-gurt.

"Welcome home, Logan," Robert said with a smile before examining the radio.

"Was that woman a customer, Uncle?" Logan asked in curiosity before sipping out the yogurt from the tube.

"Yep, she asked me if I could fix her old radio…" Robert tapped the top of the machine before looking at all the clocks on the wall and sighing, "Even though this is a clock shop."

"Heh, nothing's ever easy for you, is there?" Logan chuckled, earning another chuckle from both Rose and Robert.

"So how was school today?" Rose asked as she typed on her computer.

"Eh, boring, uneventful," He said bluntly, "Although, I did see Axel Walker get stuck in a car window."

"Ooh, how'd that happen?" Logan's uncle playfully winced before grabbing a phillips screwdriver.

"…Let's just say someone pissed him off real bad," Logan summarized his explanation.

Rose then stared at him for while without saying anything with a glaring set of eyes before saying sarcastically, "Uh-huh, I wonder who that could be…"

Logan smiled sheepishly at the remark with a nervous chuckle before his sister rolled her eyes and smirked as she said, "Just try not to get into too much trouble, Logan."

"No problem, Rose," Logan replied before remembering about what he was going to do with his friends later today, "Oh, after chores today, is it alright if I go to Zeke and Nikki's place to finish-"

"Project: Mountain Run?" Rose cut him off before saying, "Yes, you can go to their place to finish your little 'summer project'…"

"Yes!" Logan exclaimed in excitement.

"Going up to the Twin Fang Mountains on the other hand…" Rose interrupted the excited Logan, making him look at her with an "oh, come on" expression, "Uncle Robert and I have some concerns about you camping up there this weekend."

"Oh, come on, Rose," Logan insisted before reassuring her, "It's only two days up there, and we're bringing along some camping equipment."

"What you have and how long you're going to be spending your time up there is not what we're concerned about, Logan," Rose clarified, sounding a bit strict.

"She's right, Logan," Robert agreed as he approached his great-nephew, "It's what you find up there that worries us. You could run into a hungry mountain lion, a sharp-taloned eagle, or worse!"

"Okay… first of all, what could be worse than either of those animals?" Logan inquired, knowing they were overreacting, "Secondly, when adventure calls, someone has to respond, and that's me and my friends. Third, there's still a lot about our world we don't know about; lost pieces of history that could tell us about important events that happened or are about to happen."

"Ever the adventure-seeking historian, Logan," Rose sighed. She knew her brother was always fascinated by world history, something he excels at in school, but he sometimes takes it too far by trying to find historical locations and items that may or may not exist. That part of him Rose was proud of, but also terrified of.

"But have you ever thought that there are places in the world that can be too dangerous for you and your friends?" She shot an ultimatum at her brother.

"I do, Rose," Logan nodded before, "But for once, I feel like I have a chance to reach my hand up high and touch the heavens, and look into the world with a new perspective. This could our one chance that my friends and I have of doing something great, so others won't look at us with disgusted looks. So we can finally fit in with others at school."

"But you and your friends don't need to climb a mountain to do that," Logan's great uncle stated, "Your friends do not need others to tell you whether or not you fit in. People might look like they don't, but we all do in many ways. How we fit in is our decision _ours_ alone."

"Yeah, I know, but…" Logan frowned before looking at the ground in sadness and disappointment. He and his friends were waiting all summer to go up the mountains. Robert and Rose saw this look and looked at each other. They didn't want him to get hurt up there, but they didn't want to ruin the plans he and his friends worked on all summer. They sympathy for him before looking back at him.

"Alright, you can go," Rose approved, making Logan stare at her in shock.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, making sure he heard her correctly as he saw the smiles his sister and uncle gave him.

"You heard me, little bro," She said before raising her right index finger, "But on three conditions: one, you all stay safe up there, and be careful of anymore earthquakes. Two, make sure you bring the right amount of supplies to stay there for the weekend. And third, don't ever get separated from each other. You'll need to rely on each other to be okay up there."

Logan smiled in excitement once more, "Yes! Thank you!" Logan then started doing a victory dance, but was short-lived thanks to his uncle.

"Whoa there, Logan," Robert said before reminding his nephew, "You still need to do the chores here before you head out to your friends' house."

"Oh, damn, your right," Logan said before finishing his go-gurt and tossing it into the trash, "I'll get right on it."

Logan then grabbed a duster and some spray before heading into the living room to do some dusting. But when he entered the room, he noticed something sitting on one of the coffee tables. He squinted his eyes a bit before realizing what it was: the strange device from right before he got home.

"What the?" Logan approached the table and picked up the device, staring at it in shock, "I left this back on the bench. How'd it get here?"

Logan was stumped at the sight of the device, since he distinctly remembered setting it on a bench for someone to find. But to see it again - in his own house for that matter - sent chills up his spine. Thoughts spiraled through his head along with a dozen red flags, thinking someone must have snuck into his house and placed it on the coffee table. However, Logan's panic soon turns to logic, thinking this is merely a coincidence.

"Maybe Uncle Robert got it as a paperweight," Logan said before approached a garbage bin, "But to be safe instead of sorry…"

Logan opened the bin and tossed the device in it, hoping it would never be seen again by him.

"Out of sight, out of mind," Logan smirked before continuing on to his chores. As he dusted the living room, Rose and Robert looked at each other.

"You think they'll all be alright up there," Rose inquired, still unsure if she should let her brother go up to the Twin Fang Mountains, despite her permitting him to do so.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Robert reassured her before heading back the radio he was fixing, "He's got his father's fiery spirit, after all."

"Yeah… he does…" Rose said before looking towards a nearby desk and saw a picture of two people. The man in the picture was in his late twenties and had blue eyes, black hair and wore a white checkered shirt and had his arms wrapped around the woman right next to him, who was around the same age and had green eyes, brown hair and wore a sparkling blue dress. Rose looked at the picture with both sadness and worry in her eyes as she whispered one last sentence.

"Mom, Dad… please watch over him…"

* * *

 ** _TWIN FANG MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA; SAME TIME_**

* * *

On one of the Twin Peak Mountains near Divinity City, California, a strange object resembling a mammal's skull laid on two ledges. It seemed to be made of some unknown alloy and has been collecting dirt and rust for millions of years. Until now, that is. Another earthquake shook the mountains, shaking the ship online. A symbol that resembled a cat's head then lit up with a bright green glow as a whirring sound could be heard, not that anyone was around to hear it. Inside, computer screens lit up and sparks shot out of some holes in the ship's walls. Just then, the eyes of four robots lit up as the gray and silver one woke up and stood up, with his hand grabbing a computer console for support.

"Ugh!" The gray robot groaned as he tried to regain balance. Once he got stabilized, he spoke to his crew members, "Everyone alright?"

"Ugh! Define 'alright'," The orange and gray robot implied with a painful groan as he held his head.

"No broken parts," The yellow and blue robot reassured the captain as he held his shoulder.

"At least none we can feel," The green robot added as a few electrical sparks shot out of some joints.

"That's good to hear," The gray robot said in relief before giving an order, "Damage report?"

"Uh…" The yellow robot stood up and walked over to the nearest console and looked at a computer to analyze the ship, and saw that the damage was beyond repair.

"Believe me, you don't wanna know," He said hesitantly.

"Ah, that's what I thought," The gray robot sighed in disappointment before remembering something important, "What about our crew? Are the pods still intact?!"

The green and brown robot did some digging on a computer to find the pods their leader was talking about. He activated some sort of radar map scanning the area, but the screen seemed to be shorting in and out with static noise.

"Hrmm…" The green robot mumbled as he pressed a few buttons hoping to clear out the static, "Something's interfering the long-range scanners. Let me make a few adjustments."

The robot then made the adjustments, making the noise fade away a bit and giving him a better view of the area.

"Ah, there we go," He said with a successful expression before observing the radar, looking any signs of their crew. Sadly, there wasn't a single signature.

"Ah, not good, Optimus," He said to the commander, "Even without the interference, there's no possible way of locating our allies. Either they are still in orbit, they all crashed onto the planet and are still in deep stasis, or…"

Optimus looked down to the floor and sighed in anxiousness as he pinched where a naval bridge would be if he were human. He was both worried for his comrades and irritated by the fact that they are unable to fly for a long time.

"Scan the area for any energy signatures, both organic and inorganic," Optimus gave the green robot an order, "We need to know what kind of planet we're on."

"Yes, Optimus!" The green robot then adjusted the settings to search for any other signatures.

However, they are the only robotic beings that came online…

* * *

 ** _SHADOW MOUNTAIN, AFRICA; SAME TIME_**

* * *

Underneath the treacherous base of the Shadow Mountain volcano, the enemy alien ship has also reactivated, but was unable to fly. The crew inside was managing repairs, checking if everything was in prime condition. Admittedly, their ride was rough, but they're making the most with what they have, because the mission they're on is of the utmost importance. The commander sat in an adjustable, robotic seat as he observed a holographic computer.

"Navigation, is this the right planet?" He asks the computer as it brought up trajectory coordinates from space and onto Earth.

 ** _"UNKNOWN,"_** The computer replied in a female voice, showing the commander the results, **_"COURSE SETTINGS WERE ACCURATE, BUT READINGS ARE INCONSISTENT WITH THOSE EXPECTED FOR INTENDED DESTINATION. AND EXACT READINGS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO CALCULATE DUE TO AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME IN DEEP STASIS_**."

"Nevermind that!" The commander said in an impatient tone, getting more serious, "Tell me there is energon here."

 ** _"CONFIRMED,"_** The computer showed locations of green blips of what he and his crew were searching for.

"Yess… the planet has energon!" The commander exclaimed in triumph as his crew cheered in equal triumph, knowing they have completed their mission.

 ** _"TOO MUCH ENERGON,"_** The computer interrupted the celebration, showing them and molecular structure shorting out before seeing the commander's body changing from green to red, **_"FIELD READINGS ARE OFF THE SCALE. CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO ROBOTIC FORMS WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT DAMAGE."_**

"WHAT?!" The crew shouted in shock.

"Argh!" The commander slammed his fist onto the metal chair's armrest, before holding his chin in thought, coming up with an idea, "Then we will create alternate forms based on the most powerful local creatures of this planet!"

The crew then nodded to each other in agreement with their leader as they returned to their stations to prepare for creating alternate forms.

"Scanners, heh… activated!" A cycloptic purple robot said in an evil, cackling voice as he pressed a few buttons on a computer console.

The ship then shot out a device that resembled as a satellite that then used a purple scanner stretching out for miles, searching for any local organisms. The scanners found the fossilized remains of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Pterodactyl and a Velociraptor being transported to a museum in Africa. It also found an African tarantula defending its nest from an attacking wasp, and a deathstalker scorpion traversing the sands of the Sahara. The ship's computer then received the data on each and every species as chambers were prepared for creating alternate forms. The rival ship did the same thing with a yellow scanner back in the U.S. as it scanned a zoo with silverback gorillas in a tree eating fruits, a domesticated coalition of cheetahs lying down and eating meat off of bones, and a Sumatran rhinoceros eating the figs and mangoes off the ground. It also scanned a gray rat feeding on some scraps on the ground. However, the scanners from Optimus' ship touched more than just the animals. Within one of the Twin Fang Mountains, a sarcophagus-like object shaped like a female human with an eye symbol on it was with the scanners, and it glowed brighter than before. As of this day, a war has begun… a war of metal and organic lifeforms…

* * *

 _Que song: Over "Quartzer"!_

* * *

 _"The Heisei Kamen Riders have been the world's heroes through this very era, defeating the thousands of enemies that threaten Earth. And now, it's time for them to pass their legacy on to the next generation, one that will lead us to a brighter future…"_

 _"Rejoice, for the birth of the new king!"_

 ** _-(Oh, yeah. Ohh…)_**

 ** _Isshun de tsukamitoru no sa Are you ready?_**

 ** _-(Are you ready?)_**

 ** _Atarashī rekishi wa soko ni Feel it! Feel it!_**

 ** _-(Crazy baby!)_**

 ** _Hikari wo kate ni kasokushite…_**

 ** _Konomama Shout it out! Shout it out! Ima wo susume yō…_**

 ** _Madō hi mo Ikudo tonaku Asu no tobira tatake…_**

 ** _Mitsumeta sono saki ni… Tobikonde mitara!_**

 ** _Believe Yourself!_**

 ** _Now, Over "Quartzer"!_**

 ** _Toki no ame Surinukete Tomo ni!_**

 ** _You, Over "Quartzer"!_**

 ** _Mirai wo koe yō!_**

 ** _Kako no ishi wa Uso de wa azamuke nai!_**

 ** _Kanjiro sō! Nexus Future_**

 ** _Now, Over "Quartzer"!_**

 ** _Mabayui sekai~!_**

 ** _Misete!_**

* * *

 ** _DIVINITY CITY, CALIFORNIA; RURAL DISTRICT; 4:15 PM_**

* * *

Logan was now on his way to Zeke and Nikki's garage to finish up Project: Mountain Run, since he had one of the last few parts they needed to complete their little "summer project." After three months preparing, he and his friends are gonna make their way up the Twin Fang Mountains and camp up there for the weekend. That gave him and his friends a giddy feeling that nothing could spoil, not even Axel and his cronies. However, little do Logan and his friends all know, they are about to get more than what they bargained for up the mountains.

Logan was approaching a turn on the sidewalk and as he made that turn, he noticed a man in a hood standing in his way, with a book in hand.

"Oh, uh, excuse me, sir," Logan said politely.

"Congratulations…" The man randomly said.

"Hm?" Logan quirked a brow.

"According to this book, today will be a very special day for you…" The stranger explained dully, looking up from his book at Logan.

"Pardon?" Logan asked in confusion.

"However…" The strange man said as he closed his book, "Beware the red warrior…"

"Uh…" Logan stuttered, thinking this guy wasn't in his right mind as he replied, "…Okay then?"

Logan then heard wind chimes immediately ringing out of nowhere. He looked to the source and saw a set of chimes hanging above the entrance of a house. He then turned back towards the stranger, only to find him gone. Logan once again quirked his brow in confusion, knowing the mystery man was just there a minute ago.

"What the…?" Logan said, looking to see where he might've gone, "Where did he…?"

Logan then walked quickly over to the next turn to see if the man went that way. He wasn't there.

"Hello?" He called out, feeling a bit creeped out, "Sir?"

Admittedly, Logan was a bit shaken up, knowing that no one can just vanish into thin air, not without making a sound. A part of him felt like knowing who the man was, but another felt a bit relieved he was gone.

"Well, I can't decide if that was either weird or creepy," Logan said bluntly, "Then again, despite the line between them, they aren't exactly _that_ far part from each other."

Logan then shrugged the man off before being on his way back to Zeke and Nikki's place. Little did he know he was being watched from afar. A tall humanoid mecha stared at Logan in determination behind a patch of trees, but knew that now was not the right time to strike, due to so many possible witnesses.

"Too many people in this area to take him out," The pilot of the red mecha said, "I need to find a place to isolate him in order to do so."

The mecha then walked away, continuing his plan of action.

* * *

 ** _TWIN FANG MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA; UNKNOWN SPACECRAFT; 4:23 PM_**

* * *

Back up in the mountains, the alien spacecraft's computer was just finishing up the scan data in a room full of cybernetic chambers. Steam emitted from three of the chambers as they opened up, completing the scanning sequence from earlier.

"Scanning and replication of local life forms, complete," The deep voice from the green and brown robot assured his fellow crew members, "You may emerge."

As the chambers finished, a cheetah emerged from the steam of the first chamber, stretching out its back as he growled out a voice.

"Rrrrowr! Look at me, I'm a cheetah!" The voice of the yellow and blue robot spoke from the feline before looking at the chamber, seeing his reflection on a chamber and coming with a new name for himself, "No… No. From now on, I'm Cheetor!"

"Hmm, interesting…" Optimus' voice spoke from that chamber as his beast mode was still being created for him, sounding like he wasn't really impressed.

"Interesting? Mrow! Optimus, the word is 'spot-on smooth'," Cheetor purred as he looked at his reflection with a smug look, "Hehe, it's a crime…"

Just then, a gray rat the size of a gym bag appeared behind Cheetor from behind the chamber, standing up on his hind feet, giving the robot cheetah a so-so hand expression.

"Eh, a bit tacky," The rat spoke with the voice of the orange and gray robot as he approached the feline on all-fours, "Heh, ya never had taste, did ya, kid?"

"Now 'dis… err," The rat playfully growled as he stood himself back up and displayed his new form, sounding more smug, _"'Dis_ is what class is all about. Call me 'Rattrap'!"

"Oh, yeah?" Cheetor faced the rat and began taunting by being ready to pounce, "How's about I cut meeces to pieces?"

"Ease back, Cheetor," A Sumatran rhino got between the two robots in disguise, speaking with the deep voice of the green and brown robot, "Living large is for forms like me, Rhinox."

"Yeah!" Rattrap said tauntingly, "And just consider yourself lucky I didn't rough on yas!"

"Moderate your conflict circuits, Maximals!" Optimus ordered as his chamber hissed and opened, revealing his new beast mode, a silverback gorilla. He then reminded his crew about their situation, "Remember, these beast forms are to protect us from the long-term effects of the energon fields out there. We may need energon for power, but this… this is too much of a good thing."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Big Bot," Cheetor said in an unworried tone, sound like the situation was no big deal.

"I'm serious, Cheetor," Optimus said sternly as he walked on all-fours to a window, "Our robot forms will start to short out after a few minutes of exposure."

"Wait a cycle, I thought so much energon couldn't exist on a planet this size," Rattrap said in a confused tone.

"You're right, Rattrap," Optimus nodded, observing the rock formations and organic lifeforms outside the window, "And that makes this one unusual planet… whatever it is…"

"Or whenever," Rhinox added, making the Maximals stare at him with confused looks, "The Transwarp Drive can go through space _and_ time. We were locked on to Megatron's warp signature, but that was nine million years ago. We could any place… any time."

"Yes, and as far as we know, our crew could still be orbiting the planet in those stasis pods we lost in battle," Optimus remembered that scenario, chasing the enemy ship onto the planet, and losing their crew in the process.

"So? What's the big deal, Optimus?" Cheetor asked, "If they are still in orbit, shouldn't that mean they're all safe."

"Relatively, yes, Cheetor, since the pods were designed for situations such as this and are protected from the energon fields…" Optimus nodded before giving the bad news, "But it also means that Megatron has us outnumbered."

* * *

 ** _SHADOW MOUNTAIN, AFRICA; BENEATH THE BASE; 4:30 PM PACIFIC TIME_**

* * *

The enemy ship beneath the mountain revealed an open doorway with animals swarming about, consisting of mostly prehistoric reptiles and arthropods. The enemy crew managed to create their alternate forms as well as the Maximals as they walked around the cave and out through a large opening just at the base of the volcano. The red pterodactyl and a giant green wasp flew around the volcano to search for any signs of hostiles, not wanting any surprises. A purple tarantula with yellow patterns and green eyes observed a vulture feeding off the remains of a dead zebra before pouncing on it and bringing it back to the ship as a purple scorpion with red legs and eyes searched the perimeter on foot. A brown velociraptor then exited the volcano with a golden disk in hand - or in his case, in claw. He observed the area and was utter disbelief, and not in a good sense.

"Err… No. No! _NO!"_ He shouted in frustration, feeling that this situation wasn't the one he and his fellow crew members were searching for, "It's all wrong; this cannot be Nexus Earth!"

"Megatron, you've failed!" The velociraptor faced the darkness of the cave and shouted out to his leader, mostly about the downsides of coming to Earth, "Not only did you fail to destroy the Maximals when you _had_ the chance you've failed to bring us to the right planet and time period! On top of that, you've lost the fabled Key in the heat of the battle!"

"We've stolen the Golden Disk _and_ the Key for nothing, _YOU IDIOT!"_ The bird ancestor threw the disk into the darkness of the cave, having just about enough disappointments for a lifetime. A long pause of silence filled the area, with the other crew members thinking the raptor has gone mad as the scorpion went back into the tunnel for some reason.

"Uh, I beg your pardon?" The deep voice of the leader spoke as a pale purple T-Rex with red eyes, a pink underbelly and a green backside stomped out towards the frustrated raptor, "What did you call me?"

"You heard; you are an idiot, an incompetent leader, and I am taking over!" The raptor proclaimed as he called out his name.

 _"Dino-Bot - **TERRORIZE!"**_ The velociraptor changed from prehistoric beast to robotic warrior in seconds as the tail split apart went into the body and a new set of legs extended from it. The new legs folded down to the ground as the raptor legs folded into arms, with the feet becoming five-fingered hands. The raptor arms then folded around the waist as the raptor head folded down into the body, forming a chest plate. A brown humanoid head with a blue face and red eyes then emerged from the body as Dino-Bot stood up grabbed a rotating sword and rotary blades with his hands, getting into a fighting stance.

"I challenge you to battle, Megatron," Dino-Bot declared, prepared to destroy Megatron once and for all, "The winner shall lead the Predacons, and the loser shall be destroyed!"

"Ah, you're so impulsive, Dino-Bot," Megatron said as he turned back around towards the cavern entry, enraging Dino-Bot further, "Brave, but misguided."

"Do you accept my challenge or do you not, COWARD!?" Dino-Bot shouted, growing more impatient.

"Hahaha… there's more to being a leader than simple courage," Megatron reminded the robot raptor with confidence, "Well, there's cleverness, and cunning as well… Isn't that right, Scorponok?"

Dino-Bot was confused at what his former leader said before a humanoid robot with scorpion features pointed at the raptor. Dino-Bot knew he was in trouble now as he gasped and Scorponok fired a rocket at him, sending the loser to who knows where.

"Loser," Megatron proclaimed, watching Dino-Bot vanish as he stepped out into the surface world, "What does it matter which planet we're on, _or_ what time we're in? We came looking for energon, and this planet is rich with the element; enough energon to power the Predacons' entire galactic conquest."

"Megatron, hehe, the scanners have found it!" The purple tarantula from earlier spoke with the same sinister cackling voice from before in excitement, spoiling the mood of their leader.

"Ugh, what did you find that could pique my interest at this moment, Tarantulas?" Megatron asked the spider with very little interest.

"The Key!" Tarantulas answered, "It survived!"

Megatron's eyes widened in utter shock as a smirk appeared on his T-Rex face, "Ah, excellent, yess… Where is it located?"

"West, far from here, in a mountain area," The spider explained rather quickly, "Most likely, the key is buried in one of them."

"Well, I mustn't waste this opportunity, nooo…" Megatron then faced his Predacon forces, giving the orders, "Predacons, prepare the GroundBridge to the nearest set of coordinates!"

"Yes, sir!" The Predacons exclaimed, understanding the mission.

"Once again, the Key will be within my grasp, and ultimate power will be ours at last," Megatron said with a wicked smile, "Only the Maximals can give us trouble now… if they've survived the crash."

"When we arrive, find the Key!" Megatron ordered as they all returned their ship in the cavern, "And if you find the Maximals, destroy them."

* * *

 ** _DIVINITY CITY, CALIFORNIA; RURAL DISTRICT; 4:50 PM_**

* * *

Logan and his friends were all at Zeke and Nikki's house working on their project in the garage. They were working on a group of three vehicles custom-designed to traverse various terrain - both on-road and off-road. One was a custom-built motorcycle, the second was custom-built ATV, and the last was a custom-built, four-seat automatic go-kart, and Logan had the last part for it. He handed the part to Zeke and he began installing it into the go-kart with a wrench.

"There we go, that's the last part for our rides," Zeke said as he tightened the part to the core before standing by his friends, "Alright, guys, these bad boys are all finished and ready for tomorrow."

"And you're sure they're ready for traveling up the mountain?" Nikki asked, not wanting anything to go wrong on their trip.

"Don't worry, Nikki, these bad boys are outfitted with 400-horsepower engines, all-terrain treaded tires, and storage compartments capable of holding camping supplies," Zeke reassured his sister.

"I'm excited," Logan said with a smile, "How about you guys?"

"Damn right we are!" Nikki replied with a nod, "Although, Mom and Dad weren't exactly without worries…"

"Let me guess: you guys were told to be careful of mountain lions and the earthquakes, too?" Oliver asked, knowing the answer but still curious.

"Yeah…" Nikki said with her head facing the ground.

"Same goes with my parents," Oliver said, "They said to stick together with you guys."

"Sounds like they make a good point," Logan said with a nod, "There is safety in numbers."

"Yeah, but a part of me thinks they're overreacting a bit," Oliver said with a frown, with his hand on the side of his forehead.

"Parents, Oliver, overreacting is their job," Zeke reminded him before his eyes widened in realization at what he just said. He turned to Logan and saw him staring at the ground with a frown before saying, "Oh, uh… no offense, Logan."

"None taken…" Logan replied before asking, "So are we all set?"

"Just gotta give these bad boys a badass paint job, grab our supplies and stuff 'em into the compartments tonight," Zeke explained, "Then by morning, we'll be good to go!"

"Alright!" The friends exclaimed in thrill.

"Zeke! Nikki!" The voice of an adult man called out to the garage from in the house, "Come inside! I need your help moving the bookcase so I can get to the output!"

"Oh, boy," Nikki groaned in annoyance, "Duty calls."

"Ah, I hate moving the bookcase!" Zeke proclaimed as he and his sister walked inside, "It's too heavy!"

Logan and Oliver saw their friends go inside to help their family, shaking their heads with a chuckle.

"Well, there goes half our team," Logan smiled before turning his head to Oliver, "I'll see you tomorrow, Oliver?"

"You know it, Logan!" Oliver replied with a high five to his friend before leaving for his place, "See ya later!"

"You too, man!" Logan called out before heading back to his place. On the way back - about one-third of the way there - Logan heard a crackle of leaves from behind him.

"Hm?" Logan swiftly turned his head back, but saw no one there before shrugging it off, "Eh."

Logan continued his walk, but heard yet another crackle of leaves, only this one was closer. He turned his head again, feeling like he was being followed.

"Huh?" He said, shaking a bit, "Guys? Is that you? I hope…"

Logan stared at the bushes before hearing more of them, at not just one source, but various sources. He looked around and saw that not only bushes, but trees were also disturbed. Logan decided he had enough of this before calling out to whoever was messing with him.

"Okay, seriously!" He exclaimed in a bit of anger and fear as he backed up a bit, "If this is a prank, I'm not laughing, guys!"

Logan kept backing up until there was absolute silence. That sent a chill down his spine, for now he feared for his life. If it's not his friends, then who was there? The man from earlier? Or was it something more sinister. A small tremor then shook the Earth and Logan, but it immediately stopped. It was a short pause before another small tremor occurred. And another, and another, and so forth. This confused Logan, feeling like these weren't random tremors since the pattern they were in was constant. As if they were giant footsteps.

"What the…?" Logan said in shock.

 _ **Time Majin!**_

Logan then heard something call out before facing trees right next to him on his left, but that wasn't what scared him. Logan saw, hiding behind the trees, was a red and yellow mecha with a white face. Logan screamed briefly in terror and awe at the sight before falling back onto his rear. Logan then backs up a bit, almost unable to speak.

"A robot?!" He said before noticing the details of the machine, which reminded him of what the stranger from earlier said, "A red warrior?"

 _"Oma Zi-O!"_ The machine called out at Logan, _"This is the end for you!"_

"Eh?!" Logan said in confusion before seeing the robot raising his fist. Logan yelled in panic before rolling out of the way just before the robot's fist punched the ground, making it shake. Logan was shaken up a bit, but he managed to get back on his feet before running away.

 _"You won't get away from me!"_ The robot called out in rage before changing its form into some flying bike-like vehicle and chased after him. Logan ran as fast as he could away from the machine, but was struggling to the machine's great speed. He didn't want to look back, but he did anyway to see it pursuing him, and catching up very, very quickly.

"CRAP, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?!" Logan shouted in fear before noticing a covered bridge over a creek. It seemed too small for the vehicle to pursue him in, so he ran towards it. He barely made it by a landslide as the robotic vehicle nearly ran him over just before he made his turn into the bridge.

Logan turned back to face the robot-vehicle, feeling both tired out and triumphant. He panted with a smile, feeling a bit safer as he called out, "Try and get me now!"

Logan would soon regret taunting the machine as it changed back to robot mode and hovered above the bridge. Logan felt uneasy at that action before the robot punched through the roof of the bridge, trying to crush him. Logan shouted in panic as he dodged the punches and stomps from the robot. Logan tried to make a run for the exit, but wound up tripping on a hole in the boards. The red robot then approached the entrance reached out to Logan. The teen then looked up at the robot and saw his life flashing before his eyes, feeling like this was the end for him as he closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.

 ** _Time Majin!_**

Logan and the robot heard another robotic voice call out before another bike-like vehicle rammed into the robot. Logan opened his eyes as he shockingly saw another robot save his life. But what did this one want?

The robot-vehicle landed in front of the entrance as it opened up a compartment from the middle body.

"Get in. Quickly!" A girl's voice came from within the robot, calling out to Logan. Logan raised a brow in surprise and confusion, but then thought there was no time for answers, just possible salvation. He stood up and ran towards and into the robot, seeing technology he was unfamiliar with and a Japanese white girl about eighteen years old with blue eyes, black hair and wearing a white dress at the helm.

"Who are you?!" Logan asked, wanting an answer to everything that's happening now.

"No time to explain, just hold on!" The girl exclaimed before the hatch closed shut and she touched a holographic computer set to 2018 A.D. before spinning it. The ship then lift itself into the air, making Logan hold on to its interior. As it hovered into the air, a gateway appeared, where it led to, Logan had no clue as he screamed when she sped into the gateway. The gateway then closed, leaving the red robot clueless as to where to follow them. Or more specifically, when…

* * *

 ** _TWIN FANG MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA; MAXIMAL BASE; 5:05 PM_**

* * *

The Maximals were clearing the area around their ship of rubble so they can start repairs. Due to shifts in the Earth's tectonic plates, Earthquakes caused boulders and debris to fall on or near the base, causing not only external, but also internal damage. If the Maximals ever want to get airborne again, they'll need to make repairs. But before any repairs can happen, they need to remove the debris so they can have access to the ship's exterior.

While in Beast mode, Optimus Primal was moving some stones out of the way as Rhinox was setting up some kind of computer. Just then, a platform lowered from the ship revealing Rattrap carrying a piece of scrap before tossing it into a pile of scrap.

"Man, all 'dis for a Data Disk and some key the Preds lost," Rattrap groaned in annoyance, "Unbelievable."

"They're not just a Data Disk or just 'some key', Rattrap," Optimus corrected the rat before explaining the situation, "They were both Cybertron's most carefully guarded relics; the Golden Disk gave the location of a major energon source, while the Key is said to be a part an ancient prophecy that when fulfilled, would give those who possess it ultimate power. That's why Megatron stole them."

"Yeah, like I care," Rattrap scoffed, continuing his complaining as he leaned against a metal piston, "Ya know, we were supposed to be doin' deep space exploration. Playin' galactic patrol wasn't nowhere in my job description, ya know what I'm sayin'? You sure you're cut out for this commander gig?"

"Ugh…" Optimus sighed before explaining the situation even further, "Remember the Great War, Rattrap; if the Predacons get enough energon or find out how to use the key, they'll start it again. We can't let that happen."

"Besides," Optimus said as he looked at the surrounding area, trying to cheer up Rattrap, "You wanted exploration, and here we are on an unknown planet. What more do you want?"

"Well, uh, call me 'picky', but a workin' spacecraft would be nice," Rattrap nagged.

"Eh, just no pleasing some people," Optimus sighed again before the Maximals continued their work.

* * *

 ** _PANGAEA; LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD; MESOZOIC ERA; 66,810,000 B.C._**

* * *

Logan spent the whole escape inside the pathway between time and space. The trip itself to who knows where was most uncomfortable for him; he could feel his stomach turning over and over, he couldn't see straight, and he got a headache caused from all the shaking of the ship. But lucky for him, the ship stopped shaking and he felt it land somewhere. Logan didn't really care where they landed, he was just glad to be on the ground. This process diminishes his headache and nausea, but it didn't stop him from falling onto his front, using his hands and knees to hold him up as his stomach pain remained.

"Oh…" Logan groaned as he held his stomach, "I feel like my stomach turned inside-out…"

"Sorry about that," The mystery girl apologized as he stood up and looked down at Logan, "Many people tend to gain negative side effects on their first-time travel experience."

"Time… uh… trabel?" Logan asked with a gurgly voice before standing up and regaining his posture, "Oh… what do you mean? Who are you?"

"Again, introductions can wait," She said before grabbing a needle with some kind of liquid substance, "First of all…"

She then stuck it into his neck and injected the liquid into his system. She then removed the shot, resulting in him yelling in pain and grabbing his neck with his right hand.

"Ow!" He yelled before feeling a bit better, "What the…?"

"How am I…?" He said, knowing that no modern form of medicine could work this fast.

"It's a fast-acting medicine that counteracts the effects of time travel," The girl explained, "You should be feeling better soon."

Logan was in disbelief he decided to test this theory out as he did some stretches. He felt fine through all of them.

"Wow, that really does work fast," He said in awe, "But why did you save me back there?"

"…" The girl mumbled, reluctant to tell him the truth of why she rescued him, "I need to show you something…"

Logan raised a brow in confusion before asking, "And that would be?"

"Look," She said before bringing up a holographic image with a video file, "This video was taken from the year 2068."

"2068?" Logan said in disbelief "You can't be seri-"

"Just. Watch," She said coldly, making him raise up his hands in defense.

"Okay, okay," He said defensively, "No need to be snarky."

The girl then started the video and showed Logan what was happening in 2068, if it were real that is. Little did he know it was all too real. Logan saw people getting killed, and many more injured a man in a watch-like suit, with a red visor in Katakana Japanese. He stared in shock and horror at this man's actions before he saw him wipe the people from existence.

"Holy crap…" Logan gasped, horrified at the sight, "What in God's name is this?"

"Destruction… chaos… and despair…" The mystery girl explained, trying her best to keep herself together, "All of it caused by a dark and evil tyrant…"

Logan looked at her in confusion before looking back at the video, petrified at the sight of people getting killed.

He then looked back at the girl and asked, "Who?"

"Him…" She pointed to the regal figure, zooming in on him and explaining the situation, "He is the demon king who controls all of time and space… he is you…"

"Oh, well that's someone I don't want to-" Logan paused at that last sentence as he stared her, hoping she didn't say what he thought she said, "Wait, what?"

"I said he is you…" She repeated herself, "In the year 2068, you are the demon king who'll bring the world to despair."

Logan couldn't believe it. That man… that monster… was him? There was no way he'd do something like this… right?

"No way…" Logan said in denial, shocked at this new revelation, "That's me…?"

The girl nodded in response, making Logan feel a bit light-headed as he headed out.

"I need some air…" Logan said as he exited the robot and went for a walk to clear his head, despite all the running he did. What he failed to notice was the surrounding landscape, looking nothing like anywhere today.

"A demon king?" Logan asked himself, unsure about this whole situation, "There's no way that could be me… could it? And time travel…? That's supposed to be theoretical!"

As he talked to himself, he then thought of a way on how all this is happening…

"Could I just be dreaming this?" Logan asked before thinking he can't feel pain and flicking his chin, only to feel a pinching feeling, "Nope, that didn't work…"

After failing that hypothesis, Logan stopped in front of a tree that he didn't recognize. He reached out to it and felt the wooden texture of the stump.

"Everything feels so real," He said, "Even this tree."

Logan then felt something slimy land on his shoulders. The feeling made him feel grossed out.

"Oh, gross!" He exclaimed before touching it with his right hand and taking a whiff of it, making him raise his brow, "Wait a sec, is this… drool?"

Logan then heard a large growl from behind him. He slowly turned around, and eventually came face-to-face with an animal considered to be extinct: the T-Rex!

"Holy crap!" Logan exclaimed as it roared at him, making him scream, "AAAAAAHHHH!"

Logan then made a run for it, but was quickly being followed by the dinosaur. Once again he felt his life flash before his eyes, just before the girl's robot intervened and held back the T-Rex. Logan stopped in his tracks and saw the robot fighting the giant reptile.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Logan shouted in shock.

"You didn't notice?!" The girl asked in surprise, "I was in a rush so I brought us back to the late Cretaceous Period!"

"You couldn't have told me that?!" Logan said in shock before the girl pushed the dinosaur back and changed to vehicle mode before grabbing Logan.

"Just hang on!" The girl said as they disappeared into the time stream.

* * *

 ** _KYOTO, JAPAN; EDO PERIOD; 1671 A.D_**.

* * *

The two then find themselves in a small Japanese village with people working. As they walked past them, the civilians were perplexed by their 'strange' attire. Logan looked around and saw that this place was indeed an authentic Japanese village, only younger and sturdier than the ones he saw in the history books and photographs.

"What the…" He gasped in awe, "Are we in Japan?"

"Yes…" The girl answered with a nod, "Specifically, Kyoto 1671 A.D."

"Japan's Edo Period," He specified her answer before getting curious about the robot they were in, "So that thing… the thing we were flying in, it really is a time machine?"

"Correct…" She nodded again.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain what's happening here," Logan still wanting to know what the hell is going on and why he's involved in all this, "So I'll start with asking your name?"

"My name is Tsukuyomi," She introduced herself, "I come from the year 2068 A.D., and I'm here to save my time."

"Tsukuyomi?" He echoed, "As in the Japanese god of the moon and night?"

"Once again, you are correct," She replied as they explored the town, "But we shouldn't do this on an empty stomach. Let's get some food and I'll explain everything."

"…Okay…" He replied as they entered what seemed to be a restaurant, reluctant to follow someone he just met. The two then take their seats on the floor with a table between them and ordered their meal. Getting curious again about this whole time travel scenario, Logan demanded more answers.

"So what exactly is happening here?" He asked, "One minute, I was on my way home from my friends' place, feeling really excited for the weekend, and the next I'm being chased down by a red robotic mech!"

Tsukuyomi then silenced him with a finger to the lips as two natives walked by. "Watch what you say here," She told him, not wanting him to cause a ruckus.

"Oh, sorry," He apologized as she removed her finger, "I guess I should know better than blurt out stuff like that in this time period."

"Precisely," She replied, "And to answer your question, I am here to save my time."

"Yeah, you mentioned that earlier," Logan said.

"You see, in the year 2068, the Earth has been conquered and the people have been persecuted by the most evil king who ever lived…" She explained, "The Demon King… Oma Zi-O… your future self…"

"Oma… Zi-O?" He said in both surprise and intrigue, since that's what the red robot from earlier told him, "Doesn't that translate from Japanese to 'King of Time and Darkness' in English?"

"I see you know your translations," She nodded

"I study a lot in world history and languages," He explained, "Hoping to study remnants of the past up close and understand them."

"Interesting, but not the point here," She bluntly replied, "You see, Oma Zi-O brought the entire world to its knees, devoiding it of all hope. However, there were those who chose to stand against him, myself included. Many have tried… _all_ have failed, and have lost their lives to Oma Zi-O."

"Okay, but who the hell was piloting the red mecha chasing after me?" Logan asked, hoping this girl could tell him how to avoid the red mecha who attacked him.

"Nathaniel Gates, AKA Geiz," She gave Logan the name of his attacker before explaining more about him, "He also comes from 2068, and plans to kill you in order to prevent you from attaining the power of Oma Zi-O."

"Well, that somewhat explained why he was a bit relentless back in 2018; if I'm dead, Oma Zi-O won't exist," He held his chin in thought, starting to think that Geiz actions were for the greater good, despite how violet the intentions. But that raised another question from Logan, "Although, speaking of which, why did you save me if you're both trying to stop me from becoming Oma Zi-O?"

"That may be, but killing an innocent life to prevent it from becoming an evil one is not always the answer," She explained her actions, "I went back in time to _guide_ you from the path of Oma Zi-O."

"Okay, but are you sure you have the right guy?" He asked, still finding it hard to believe that Logan could become that cruel and evil, especially since he and his friends are outcasts amongst his classmates, "I mean, I'm not exactly the kind of person who's popular enough to be homecoming king, so what makes you think I'm this 'Demon King'?"

"This," She held out a futuristic tablet with a touch-screen and showed Logan his own daily life and history via videos and images, "Your name is Logan Briggs. Born on April 28, 2000, making you eighteen years old now."

The videos showed Logan doing everything he has ever done in the past; every action, every choice he made, every wheel he has set into motion.

"You currently reside in the rural district of Divinity City with your paternal great uncle, Robert Colton Briggs, and older and only sister, Rosaline Briggs," She explained as the videos and images showed Logan doing everything he has ever done in the past, "Your great uncle turned his house into a clock and repair shop while your sister works at the rural district's scrapyard. You befriended three classmates, Oliver Shepherd, and Nicole and Ezekiel Bishop, and made enemies with senior students Axel Walker, Jonas Dalton, and Bartholomew Jefferson. You are also a senior student at Divinity City High School, performing well in the subject in history, language, and engineering, but abysmally in physics."

That sentence filled him up with embarrassment, and it didn't help when she showed him sleeping on his physics books. Come think of it, her whole "research" on him sent chills down his spine.

"Is that enough proof for you?" She asked as Logan was left with his eyes widened and his jaw dropping to the floor. He then regained his posture before answering her question.

"Well, it's thorough enough to give more chills than any moment I had in my life," He said with a shudder, "I feel more stalked than researched, to be honest…"

Just then, a Japanese serving girl arrived with their drinks and food: a platter of cut-up sushi. She was just about to leave, but Tsukuyomi stopped her and held out her tablet over the serving girl's hand. She brought up a screen with golden yen coins and slid them down, making them appear in real life. After being given the proper amount, the serving girl left, think the tablet some sort of magic.

"Golden yen coins?" Logan asked, given that it was very rare to see that kind of money in 2018, "How'd you get those?"

"This tablet allows me to create any form currency of the past," Tsukuyomi explained, "As long it doesn't affect the timeline severely."

"Sounds a bit like counterfeiting, but alright," Logan said before taking a sip of his beverage.

"Now, about the watch you have…" Tsukuyomi said.

"What watch?" Logan asked before feeling something vibrate in his pocket. He looked down and saw the pocket glowing reaching into it and shockingly, discovered the same black device from before, "What the…?! How'd it…?! B-But I threw it away!"

"As I figured," Tsukuyomi said with a frown as she held Logan's hand with the watch, "This watch will grant you the unlimited power of time. With it, you will become Oma Zi-O, the king who will destroy the world you know and enslave those around you."

Logan was beyond shocked. To think that he was just a normal teenage boy and he stumbled upon the fact that he's a tyrant in a distant future. He held his chin in though still not sure of what to make of this situation. Logan then started thinking about his old childhood dream of being a king. At the time, he was young and naive, and as he got older, the dream faded into what it really was a dream. But given what just happened to him, Logan is unsure to deny the fact that he could be a king in the future. But an evil king he was not expecting.

"Do you not believe me?" Tsukuyomi asked, noticing his train of thought.

"After what just happened today, I have no reason to not believe you," Logan said as he stared down at the watch, "I mean, first the watch, then the shady man telling me about today, then Geiz attacking me, and now time travel and me being an evil overlord in the future. This much weird stuff happening in one day is too much to be coincidence."

"I'm sorry to bring this on you so… much…" Tsukuyomi's eyes widened at the words about the stranger he met earlier, "Wait, did you say there was a shady man?"

"Uh, yeah, he had this book with him," Logan explained as he went into details, "It was titled in Japanese and I couldn't read much before he vanished, but I could've sworn that it said something about some 'great calamity' or something?"

"Woz…" Tsukuyomi said, making Logan curious. She then explained, "He is the prophet that predicts you becoming Oma Zi-O. If he's here, he'll try to manipulate you into becoming the Demon King."

"Oh, good grief," Logan facepalmed with a sigh, "I mean when I was younger, I dreamt of nothing else but being a king. But as I got older, I realized that dream was just that: a dream. Especially since I'm considered an outcast by most of the school. But gaining the power to become an actual king… honestly, a small part of me is thrilled. But the fact that I become an evil overlord, it scares the living daylights out of me. I would never want to kill anyone, especially anyone innocent."

"I see…" Tsukuyomi muttered before staring at the watch and seeing it wasn't doing anything, "Wait a minute… the watch isn't responding."

"That's a good thing, right?" Logan asked hopefully, "No response, no demon king?"

"Hopefully…" Tsukuyomi responded before the two heard a commotion outside.

 _"FIGHT! THERE'S A FIGHT!"_ A person shouted as the duo looked at each other before running outside and seeing a crowd gathering.

"What's going on out here?" Tsukuyomi inquired as they approached the crowd. The two were in the far back, but they could still see a fight between five people.

"Don't mess with Edo Artisans, you bastard!" A man exclaimed aggressively, pushing another man into a table. The injured man's friend helped him up as they all continued fighting. Logan jumped up to see better above the crowd and to confirm their suspicions.

"Yeah, it's definitely a fight," Logan said to his rescuer, "But why do they all sound English?"

"It's one of the watch's effects," Tsukuyomi explained, "It'll allow you to communicate and understand different races and languages."

As the fight continued, Tsukuyomi decided to test something out. She then grabbed Logan by his biceps, catching his attention.

"Now, I'm sorry, but I need to test something out," She says, confusing him before turning him towards the fight and plugging her nose saying, _"Give it a rest you punks!"_

"Huh?" The five people who were fighting stopped their squabbling and saw Logan get pushed into the crowd, gathering everyone's attention.

"Wha-?!" He said as he felt all eyes on him and saw the older men glaring at him in rage.

"Who the hell are you?!" One of the men asked, insulted by Logan's intervention.

"Uh… I'm just not big on fighting, you know?" Logan explained, but felt like he wasn't getting on anyone's good side, "Can't we just talk this out?"

Next thing you know, Logan is being carried by the five men onto the bridge above a river, with the citizens watching. Logan was panicking as he knew what was about to happen. However, he continued to try and negotiate his way out of this situation.

"Let's all just calm down, alright?!" He said loudly as they began swinging him back a forth, "I mean, I don't think this is really-"

On the last swing, they threw him off the bridge

"NEEDED!" Logan yelled before landing into the water, front side first, "OW!"

"Serves you right, brat!" One of the men proclaimed.

"Yeah, cool your heels!" The second one shouted.

"Haha, come on, boys!" The third one laughed as all five took their leave, "Let's go!"

As the five left with their hands wrapped around each others' waists. Logan swam out of the river and back onto dry land. Tsukuyomi saw the whole thing go down, and couldn't believe Logan just took that from those people and tried to negotiate with them.

"Hmm… maybe I don't have the right person after all…" She held her chin in thought, thinking she might have the wrong man, "He seems to be the polar opposite of Oma Zi-O."

Logan managed to walk back up to the streets and up to Tsukuyomi who asked, "Are you okay?"

"What the hell was that?!" Logan shouted at her in shocked anger, "Why'd you shove me in the middle of their argument?!"

"I had to see if you were going to be ruthless as your future self…" Tsukuyomi explained defensively, now thinking her hypothesis was wrong.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not; I'm more of a pacifist, which is why I try to avoid my bullies at school," Logan said to her before seeing the five men from earlier walking away being friendly with each other like nothing happened, "Well, at least they stopped fighting. That's good to see."

"Ha! They tossed him into the river, and he's still concerned about them fighting!" A local woman mocked him, making the villagers laugh at Logan, but he didn't really care much.

"AAAAAHHH! MONSTER!"

Logan, Tsukuyomi and the other villagers turned to the men and saw a patch of smoke in front of them before they scattered in fear. Walking out of the smoke, they all got a better look at what they were running from. Or precisely, whom. It was a man in red armor with two wristbands holding four watches, a white watch-like belt with a red watch on the right side and a screen saying 2068 in yellow, triangular shoulder armor, black gloves with yellow fingers, black knees, and a black digital watch design from the head to below the belt and onto his back. His helmet was black with a white face, a yellow visor in Hiragana Japanese expanding off the helmet, a small yellow clock symbol on the forehead, and a small emblem between them in Katakana Japanese. Whoever he is, Logan recognized his face it was the same as the robot's.

 _カメン = "Kamen"_

 _らいだー = "Rider"_

"RUN!" A villager screamed in panic, "IT'S A MONSTER!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" A woman shouted as everyone but Logan and Tsukuyomi started running away.

"Who is that?!" Logan asked in shock.

"That's what Geiz looks like when he transforms!" Tsukuyomi explained quickly as Geiz approached the two, "As I said before, he's here to eliminate you before you obtain the power of Oma Zi-O!"

"We need to get out of here!" She then grabbed Logan by the wrist and began running away back to their ship

"You're not getting away!" Geiz seethed with clenched fists as he returned to his ship to chase after them.

 ** _Time Majin!_**

Logan and Tsukuyomi then found themselves back in time stream being chased by Geiz. They were hoping to outrun him and hide in another era in time, but were having no such luck as Geiz caught up with them. Geiz then rammed his Time Majin into Tsukuyomi's and pressed them against the walls of the time stream. Inside theirs, Logan felt the hit and fell onto the floor of the vehicle as holographic screens all turned red with signs saying "DANGER" on them all.

"Ow!" Logan said as he held his head in pain before hearing the ship's alarm, "Oh, that doesn't sound good!"

Tsukuyomi then did a daring move just before Geiz tried to ram into them again, by flying and spinning out of the way and onto Geiz's opposite side.

"We need to get out of the time stream quickly!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed as she piloted the Time Majin, "If we don't, Geiz will most likely destroy us both!"

"Well, ain't that just grand!" Logan exclaimed in sarcasm and fear, not liking the possibility of death in their current situation. Geiz then rammed into then again, but this time, he had something different in mind. He unlocked hi Time Majin's arm pushed Tsukuyomi and Logan out of the time stream.

* * *

 ** _SKYLINE CITY, CALIFORNIA; NOVEMBER 30, 2017 A.D._**

* * *

Logan and Tsukuyomi were spinning out of control. They got so out of control, they ran into a giant wall, literally. They hit a wall that reached as high as a skyscraper emitting red energy. The Time Majin was then heading down fast.

"He's forced us out of the time stream!" Tsukuyomi yelled as she tried to regain control and avoid hitting a nearby building, "Hold on tight! Brace for impact!"

"Ah, son of a…!" Logan began as he held onto something solid, praying that he get out of there. Just then, the hatch opened and suction was so powerful, Logan lost his grip and fell onto a nearby building, one close to them, and landed hard on the roof. His landing was powerful enough to have him roll on his sides. When he finally stopped, Logan held his shoulders in pain.

"Owowowow!" He loudly winced, feeling pain all over his body, "That hurt like hell!"

The feeling of pain eventually went away, but was soon replaced by a feeling of coldness. Curious Logan looked up from the ground and saw that he appeared to be back in his modern-day timeline. He stood up and prayed for it to be true, but that was before noticing a cloudy sky raining down snow.

"What the… snow… in early September?" Logan said in shock before getting a better look at his surroundings, especially the giant wall, "It looks like Trinity City, but… what's with the wall?"

Logan stared at the wall, which made him dejectedly think that he wasn't home at all, but in another era. Only problem is that he didn't know what era he was in. That soon became _one_ problem as another made its presence to him by releasing a deep growl.

"Hmm?" Logan jerked his head up and turned it to the side, only to see a mechanical, gorilla-like monster running towards him, looking ready to attack, "Oh, crap! Now what?!"

Logan then began to run away, but was afraid the monster would catch up with him, given he's been having such terrible luck today. And he feared that no stranger would save him this time.

Little did he know he was wrong…

"Get down!" A voice shouted to him, distracting him and making him trip due to the wet and slippery floor of the roof. He slid under another section of the roof that was covered by another roof before flipping and facing the monster before hearing someone call out something.

 ** _Ready, Go!_**

Just then, two strange figures in armor appeared. The suits had spiraled armor all over the legs, arms, chest and head. The first one had the top right half of the head, the left arm and the right leg were all blue, while the lower-left half of his head, his right arm, and left leg were all red. His upper chest was red with a rabbit ear going over the left shoulder, and a gap between the red was blue with a tank barrel going along and below the ear. He also had some black gaps of armor on his wrists, the lower torso and waist, his knees, backside and his lower legs. His neck was also black protected by a black neck guard, and on his head was a white crystal. His lower left leg was covered by a white spring with a black anklet with a red arrow pointing to the ground, while his right foot was molded to look like the caterpillars of a tank. The second one was navy blue and unlike the first figure, he had more symmetrical armor. He had white fang-like spikes on his arms, a flaming left arm and right upper thigh. He had shoulder armor resembling dragon wings with orange flames, blue visors resembling the jaws of a dragon, and an orange dragon head on the forehead. They both wore the same belt, resembling a crank and gears, with the first one having red and blue bottles and the second having a big dragon with one bottle inserted. The two jumped into the air and charged down at the monster.

 ** _Voltech Finish! YAY!_**

 ** _Dragonic Finish!_**

The two armored figures struck the monster with falling dropkicks, making it explode in green flames. They landed in crouches and Logan witnessed the entire scenario go down.

"Whoa!" He said in awe, amazed by his new saviors.

"Hey, are you okay?!" The red and blue figure called out to Logan in worry before he and his partner ran towards to see if he's okay.

"Yo, you alive, man?!" The dragon-based figure called out. The two figures approached him, with the red and blue extending out his right hand, offering Logan some help up. Logan gladly accepted the assistance as he grabbed the hand.

"Oh, thanks for the save," Logan groaned as he stood up to thank the duo, "One minute later, I think I would've been dead."

"You're welcome, but you shouldn't out here past curfew," The red and blue figure told him, "It's too dangerous to be out this late, especially if you're alone in a restricted area."

"Yeah, man, Skyline City isn't exactly safe these days since the place has been put under martial law," The dragon-based figure stated a bit sternly.

"Martial law?" Logan echoed in confusion, "Skyline City?"

"Uh, yeah," The dragon-based figure replied before bluntly explaining, "It's where you are right now."

"Wait, I thought this was Trinity City," Logan said, still confused by the words of his two new saviors. His words also confused the two armored figures, who stared at each other before back at Logan.

"Uh, it was Trinity City before the Sky Wall Disaster," The two-colored figure explained, wondering why this kid was acting like he didn't know anything, "Did you bump your head or somethin'?"

"Yeah… I'm gonna go with somethin'?" Logan replied before changing the subject, "Anyway, my name's Logan Briggs. Who are you two?"

"Well, this guy is Kamen Rider Build," The dragon-based figure pointed his right thumb to his partner, who removed two bottles from his belt and he changed into a white 16-year old boy with different colored eyes, one red and one blue, and black hair, wearing a jacket.

"Tobias Franklin," He introduced himself before introducing his partner, "And this my best friend, partner and assistant."

"The hell I am with that last part!" The dragon-based figure retorted before pulling the dragon-like adapter from his belt, revealing another 16-year old boy with light tan skin, light brown hair and blue eyes, "Kamen Rider Cross-Z; Angus Drake. Nice to meet you, man."

"Kamen… Rider…?" Logan echoed in confusion as he scratched the back of his head, "I'm sorry, but what era are we in right now?"

"'Era'?" Tobias quirked a brow in further confusion before answering the question, "Uh, it's November 30, 2017."

"2017?!" Logan exclaimed in shock.

 ** _"NightRogue and Blood Stalk want Build and Cross-Z found immediately!"_** A robotic voice called out, making Tobias and Angus widen their eyes in fear, **_"Sweep the area!"_**

Tobias then did something out of the blue: grabbed Logan's wrist and dragged him to a small hiding spot.

"Shh!" Tobias shushed Logan, "The Guardians are here!"

"Guardi-hmm?!" Logan's mouth was immediately covered by Angus' hand before he could let out a word.

"He said 'Shh!', man!" Angus silently scolded him before a small team of humanoid robots walked right past them, noticing them hiding. They searched all over the roof, but they found nothing.

 ** _"No sign of Kamen Riders Build or Cross-_** ** _Z,"_** One of the robots said, **_"Resuming search on to next sector!"_**

The robotic soldiers all nodded before running off to find Kamen Riders Build and Cross-Z. Logan was perplexed at this sudden scenario. It made him start to think as to why these robot soldiers were searching for Tobias and Angus. Angus then released Logan's mouth and walked out of their hiding spot.

"Sorry about that," Tobias apologized for their actions, "How about we go somewhere without robocops on our tail?"

"I'm with you, Tobes," Angus agreed with his friend. However, hearing the word "robocop" started to make Logan think that his saviors weren't exactly on the right side of the law.

"Wait, those things are cops?" He asked in a bit of skepticism, "Are you guys criminals?"

"Of vigilantism? Yes," Tobias answered, "Now, come on."

Tobias and Angus then ran off to the exit of the building. Logan was a bit skeptical to follow them at first, but then he remembered that it's not like he has anywhere else to be, now that Tsukuyomi is gone and he's trapped - presumably - in 2017. Logan ran to the exit and caught up with them.

Once they all reached ground level, Tobias and Angus walked him towards their hideout, and began asking Logan questions, starting with "Why did you ask what era we were in?". Logan found this difficult to answer, but found no better way than to tell them the truth. He told the Kamen Rider duo that he was from the future, and that he was brought back in time to be saved from an assassin. Of course, the duo was skeptical, as seen by the looks on their faces. Logan sighed, knowing they were thinking he was crazy. Just then, an idea popped into his head; he showed them the only proof he had. Logan got out the watch from earlier and showed it to Tobias and Angus, the two were stunned by the sight of the watch, noticing that it didn't look like anything from their time. Tobias suggested that Logan should give it to him for examination as they entered a restaurant called Nascita. Logan was now sat down on a chair at the bar with a blanket over him to warm him up as an older man handed him some hot cocoa, with another girl sitting at a nearby table.

"Thanks for cocoa, sir," Logan politely said.

"No problem, kid," The man smiled in response as he got out a rag and began cleaning the bar's counter.

"Why'd you show this kid your identities?" The young girl asked in shocked disbelief, "What if he rats you out to the Guardians?"

"I won't let him," Angus said as he grabbed a carton of milk and opened it to get a decent drink. Logan looked at him before noticing the expiration date on the carton, and what it read shocked him…

…11-13-2017!

"Wait, let me see that!" Logan said as he grabbed the carton to confirm what he saw

"Hey!" Angus said, thinking it was rude to get his drink taken from him. Logan read the date, and it read said November 13, 2017.

"It really is 2017!" Logan said in shock.

"Told ya, man," Angus replied as he took back his milk carton and took a sip.

"Why does that surprise you?" The girl asked in confusion, looking a bit bored.

"The guy says he's from the future, and claims he has somethin' from said future," Angus explains before staring at Logan with a skeptic expression, "I personally think he somehow got his hands on Cybertronian tech."

"Cyber… what?" Logan asked with a quirked brow in confusion.

"Cybertronian," Tobias' voice spoke up as he appeared from the fridge, surprising the high school outcast, "An alien race of transforming robots that have been warring for eons. It's a long story."

"What's with the fridge?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Secret lab, we'll tell ya later," Angus answered bluntly before taking another sip of his milk.

"I analyzed the watch, and it's built with no current form of human technology," Tobias explained, giving the watch back to Logan, "It also doesn't show any signs of Cybertronian tech or energy."

"So no Autobots or Decepticons?" Angus inquired as he stood up from the bar, "Then I guess this guy _is_ from the future."

"Thank you," Logan said bluntly.

"So what's the future like anyway?" The older man asked, eagerly wanting to know what his future is like, "Is my restaurant famous?!"

"Whoa there, Uncle Russell," Tobias said sternly, as if something bad were to happen, "We can't just ask about the future so rashly. We could destroy time itself if we know too much about it."

"Don't get too excited, I only come from almost a year from the future," Logan assured him.

"A year?" Angus said as he walked in the path of the door, "Well, that's kinda disappointing."

"I know, and what makes it worse is that I'm told that in 2068, I become a king," Logan began to explain, "An evil tyrant who controls time and space. I was told this by a girl named Tsukuyomi, who I'm hoping landed here in 2017 like me, and is trying to guide me away from becoming that king."

"So if it's no trouble, could you help me find her?" Logan asked, but realized that there was nothing but silence in the restaurant, "Are you guys even listening? What's the-"

Logan turned around, only to see Tsukuyomi standing in the doorway with a gun in hand and the four people lying on the floor unconscious. This shocked Logan as his eyes widened in fear, thinking she might have killed them

"Matter…" was the last thing he said before Tsukuyomi shot him, making a diagonal Phi symbol appear briefly before he fell to the floor out cold.

"Sorry, but it's dangerous to mingle too long with the past," Tsukuyomi said as she approached Logan's passed-out body, ready to bring him back to 2018.

* * *

 ** _TWIN FANG MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA; 6:20 PM; 2018 A.D._**

* * *

Back in the Twin Fang Mountains, a green vortex tearing through space-time appeared. The five Predacons then walked out of the vortex, ready to begin their search for the Key. The five robotic animals examined their new environment before Scorponok spoke up.

"Destination reached!" He exclaimed.

"Tarantulas, are you sure this is where the Key landed?" Megatron asked, not wanting any forms of error or failure from his lead scientist.

"No… I'm sure this is _near_ the coordinates of where the Key landed," Tarantulas corrected him, making the leader glare at him.

"I don't want excuses, nooo…" Megatron told him sternly, "I want answers!"

"The energon fields are tampering with GroundBridge's coordinate system," Tarantulas explained defensively, "Since the key is located _inside_ this mountain and so much energon is in one place, we won't be able to reach the exact coordinates of the Key or anywhere else…"

The T-Rex glared at the Tarantula for a minute before looking back at the mountains, knowing that searching for this "Key" would be a challenge.

"Hmm, quite the predicament, yess…" He said coldly, "But a harmless scavenger won't hurt, and it will not keep it from our rightful goal! Nooo…!"

As they examined the environment, the pteranodon saw some mountain lions prowling on the forest floor in the mountains and a hawk feeding worms to a nest full of hatchlings.

"Ugh!" The pteranodon said in repulse, "This place is infested with organic lifeforms!"

"Some of them being humans… look over there!" Scorponok said almost randomly as he pointed his left claw in at what he saw. The other Predacons looked over and saw he was telling the truth. There were human hikers out on the trail of the mountains. Megatron smirked knowing that Dino-Bot was wrong, he did bring his crew to the right planet.

"Ah, so we did make it to Earth, yess…" He chuckled sinisterly, "The ancient organic battlegrounds of the Autobots and Decepticons."

"If this _is_ Nexus Earth, then why don't we see the Sky Wall the Cybertronian Archives mentioned?" The Pteranodon asked skeptically with his clawed finger scratching his chin.

"Nevermind that, Terrorsaur!" Megatron disregarded the pteranodon's question, "You and Waspinator will fly up the mountain and retrieve the Key immediately!"

"Wazzpinator will brrrinnng back Key forrr you, Megatron!" The wasp buzzed in assurance.

"You better, Waspinator," Megatron warned the buzzing soldier, "Or I'll grind you into scrap metal, yess…!"

"For the glory of the Predacons!" Terrorsaur bellowed as he and Waspinator took off to find the artifact.

"What should we do, Megatron?" Scorponok asked, curious about their next move.

"Simple, dear Scorponok," Megatron assured his second in command, "We climb up the mountain on foot and search for the Key. And remember, if you see a Maximal dog, terminate them on site!"

"And the-hehe-humans?" Tarantulas inquired.

"I doubt they'll give us much trouble," Megatron said confidently, "But you can toy with whatever specimens you can find and collect, yess…"

Tarantulas chuckled in response as they all began the search for the artifact.

* * *

 ** _DIVINITY CITY, CALIFORNIA; RURAL DISTRICT; 6:57 PM_**

* * *

Logan slowly opened his eyes and sat up from a bed as he held his head with his right hand. He felt a bit disoriented, not knowing what was going on.

"Oh," He groaned, "Have I got a headache…"

After about a minute of regaining his senses, he then noticed he was in a bedroom; his bedroom. He then looked down and saw that he was sitting on his own bed.

"I'm back in my room?" Logan asked himself in confusion, "Was all that stuff just a dream?"

"Well, look who's finally awake," A familiar voice spoke up. Logan looked up from his bed and saw his older sister leaning on the side of the doorway.

"Oh, hey, Rose," Logan said as he stood up from his bed, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost an hour," Roe replied before explaining, "You just walked through the front door, went to your room and slammed right onto your bed, passing out on impact."

"Ugh!" Logan winced, "Must've hit it hard because my head kinda hurts."

"Well, come on," Rose said before standing up straight and into the hallway, "Uncle Robert made dinner, and I know how much you like his lasagna."

"You know me so well…" Logan smiled as he followed her out of his room.

"I'm your sister," Rose said as they walked downstairs, "It's my job."

Logan and Rose then entered the kitchen and saw that their uncle had already prepared dinner for them. Logan, however, stared at a carton of milk with an expiration date of September 8, 2018. He mentally sighed in relief at the sight before his uncle noticed him and Rose.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Robert smiled at the sight of his niece and nephew before introducing them to the full table of food, all of which based on clocks, "I made my famous lasagna."

"Uh, yum!" Logan smiled as he licked his lips in hunger.

"Dig in, both of you!" Robert insisted as they all sat down and filled their plates with food. Logan was just about to dig in, but was stopped by the sight of the clock-based platter. This sight made him only touch his food lightly with a frown on his face. Robert and Rose noticed this and spoke up in worry.

"You okay, Logan?" Rose asked, grabbing his attention, "You're barely touching your food and you look upset."

"Oh… it's, uh… it's nothing," He assured them, but they weren't buying it.

"Logan," Rose said insistently.

"You can tell us anything, Logan," Robert said in an assuring tone, "We'll understand."

"I don't know…" Logan said, feeling hesitant before asking, "You're gonna keep insisting until I talk, aren't you?"

"Yes," Rose and Robert said in sync.

"Oh… okay…" Logan sighed in defeat before asking, "You guys remember my old childhood dream of being a king?"

That question they were not expecting.

"Heh, of course, we remember," Robert chuckled a bit, although he was a bit surprised at the sudden question, "That was the phase when you built yourself a castle out of cardboard boxes."

"Yeah, I distinctly remember you going on a tantrum when it was knocked over," Rose playfully teased, reminding him of that moment in his life, "Took a lot of peanut butter cookies to calm you down."

"Yeah, and I remember that you were the one who knocked it over, Rose," Logan shot back, making her roll her eyes at him.

"Anyway, what brings this on?" Rose asked, curious as to why Logan is bringing up this subject after so long, "I mean, I haven't heard you bring up that dream for years. So why now?"

"Well…" Logan stuttered, but decided there was only one thing he could do…

He told them everything that happened in his "dream". From the robot/assassin attacking him, to him being a tyrant fifty years from now and two heroes called Kamen Riders.

"So, in your dream…" Robert began to ask curiously, "You actually become a king in the future?"

"Yes," Logan replied, holding his frown.

"And you were given the ability to control time and space itself?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Logan repeated.

"Well, that sounds interesting," Rose commented.

"Indeed, it does," Robert agreed with his niece, "Sounds like you were having a good dream."

"Eh, not exactly…" Logan corrected.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"You see, in the future…" Logan paused, but eventually came clean, "I became the most evil king that's ever walked upon the Earth."

"Seriously?" Robert and Rose asked, shocked at the sudden twist in this story.

"Seriously," Logan nodded in response, "And two people from the future tried to keep me from becoming that king. The problem is that one of them wanted to kill me, while the other tried to guide me away from becoming a tyrant."

"Sounds like it's turning into a nightmare," Rose winced as she took a bite out of her lasagna.

"Yeah, so right now, I feel a little torn about my childhood dream, despite it sounding a bit childish," Logan explained his problem.

"I understand how that feels, Logan," Robert said, feeling sympathy for his nephew.

"Really?" Logan quirked a brow in confusion.

"Yes," Robert nodded as he began to explain, "So there's no need to rush to an answer."

"You see, when I was your age, I had a chance to chase after my dream, too," He explained, "But doing so meant taking a big risk. I remember being torn as well."

"So what'd you do?" Logan inquired, wanting to know how this went down.

"I let it pass me by and told myself not to rush," Robert answered before sighing, "I figured I'd get another chance… but life doesn't really give you so many chances."

Robert then grabbed a clock from a nearby dresser and used it as an example.

"Take time and a clock for example," He further explained as he began to toy with the hands of the clock, "We can stop the hands of a clock and turn them back as much as we want… but that's just not how life works."

"Okay?" Logan said, not understanding what his great uncle was trying to say.

"Anyway, my point is…" Robert said, setting down the clock, "Don't feel rushed about making certain decisions. Just be patient and quick."

"Quick?" Logan said in further confusion, "How is that any different from rushing?"

"Rushing would mean you feel pressure and struggle to make a decision," Robert clarified, "Being quick would mean you would know what decision to make before it happens."

"Oh…" Logan said with a look of consideration, "I never considered that."

"Uncle's right, Logan," Rose said in support, "You can be quick, just be patient about it."

"Alright, thanks," Logan said with a smile, "Both of you."

"Not a problem," Robert said before removing his locket from his neck and reaching it over the table to his nephew, "Here."

"Your locket watch?" Logan asked, stunned at this action. Logan knew that watch was important to his great uncle, but he never thought of him just giving it to him.

"It was my gift to your father before he passed," Robert explained as Logan reached out his hand, "He gave it back to me in the hospital so I could give to you when you got older."

"Dad wanted me to have this?" Logan asked in shock as Robert put the locket watch into the palm of his hand.

"You can bring it up to the mountain tomorrow," Robert told him, "As long as you don't lose it."

Logan stared at the locket watch for a while. If this belonged to his father, then that means he now has a part of his parents with him. A sad smile formed in his face before looking back up to his uncle.

"I won't," Logan said proudly as he hung around his neck.

"It suits you," Rose complimented her brother, who responded with a smile before they all continued to eat their dinner. After they finished eating, Logan walked towards the stairs to head up and take a shower before heading to bed.

"Well, thanks for the dinner, Uncle Robert," Logan thanked his uncle.

"You're welcome, Logan," Robert smiled.

"Ugh, if you two don't mind, I'm gonna take a shower and hit the hay," Logan yawned an excuse.

"Why?" Rose playfully accused her brother, "So you can avoid cleaning up the kitchen?"

"No, because I'm tired," Logan told them his reason, "Besides, the guys and I are leaving to the mountain early in the morning."

"Alright, you can shower up," Robert chuckled as he and Rose began to clean up.

"Thanks, Uncle Robert," Logan then went upstairs.

After a well-needed shower, Logan went back to his room to put on some sleeping clothes. After getting dressed for bed, he checked on a few bags and cases carrying supplies for their camping trip this weekend. He double checked everything, and all of it was in place for the trip. Logan then got under his covers and turned off the lights, with only the lamp on. Logan took off the locket watch and stared at it before opening ut, revealing a picture with his great uncle Robert, him as a baby, Rose as a child, and their parents behind two hands of time. He smiled at the sight of seeing his once happy family as a tear shed from his eye.

"Mom… Dad…" Logan began with a sad smile, "I hope you're watching from up in heaven, because tomorrow, I plan on reaching up to you guys."

Logan set the locket watch on his dresser before turning off the lamp before covering up in blankets and sheets.

"I love you both…" He said silently before drifting off into sleep.

* * *

 ** _SKYLINE CITY, CALIFORNIA; 2017 A.D._**

* * *

Joseph Butler: a white man in his twenties with green eyes and dark brown hair wearing a basketball uniform. He was practicing basketball in front of his house with a transportable basket. He shot a few hoops in a row, but he eventually missed and the ball bounced into the street.

"Oh!" He chased after it and caught on the ground before hearing a honk. Joseph quickly turned his head and saw a car speeding at him. The driver hit he brakes at the sight of him, but the car wasn't stopping.

"AAAAAHHH!" Joseph screamed as he fell backward onto the ground, feeling his life flashing before his eyes, "I'M GONNA DIE!"

Just as he awaited death, the car suddenly froze. Joseph looked up and saw that it nearly hit him, but was somehow stopped in its tracks.

"What the?" He panted in disbelief, still shaken up by the car, "I'm alive?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news for you…" the voice of preteen spoke up. Joseph loomed and saw a thirteen- year old boy in a blue suit approaching him, "You see, according to history, you were hit by this car, ending your basketball career."

"What?!" Joseph asked in shocked disbelief, earning a smirk from the boy.

"But… if you make a contract with me…" The boy held out a watch-like device to the basketball player, giving him a hint of what could happen.

"You'll save me?" He said in realization.

"BINGO!" The boy shouted in enthusiasm, "...But as I said, you'll need to contract with me… choose wisely…"

Joseph knew what the answer was. He had to make a "contract" with this boy if he wanted to keep his basketball career. He stared back at the boy and nodded.

"I'll do it!" He exclaimed without second thoughts.

"Good choice!" The boy said before the watch turned violet with a face resembling Kamen Rider Build, but looking more monster-like. Not only that, but the boy tapped the car and pushed it away surprisingly far into another.

"Whoa!" Joseph gasped in awe.

"Now that that's done…" The boy began, "You owe me…"

"Owe you what exactly?" Joseph asked, starting to have second thoughts.

"Oh, it's quite simple," The boy began "From now on…"

"You'll be known as Kamen Rider Build!"

The boy pressed the button on the watch, activating it.

 ** _Build!_**

The boy then stuck the watch into Joseph's chest. Joseph then began to change into a monster resembling Kamen Rider Build, but looking more monstrous with a toothed mouth, sharp claws and a skeleton spine sticking out his back. His abdomen was labeled "Build 2017". Whatever this creature was, it looked ready to fight and kill.

"Holy!" A voice shouted, catching their attention. They turned and saw a young man in a martial arts gear looking at them in fear.

"Sick 'em, boy!" The boy smiled as the monster ran the young man and grabbed him by the throat.

"Ah!" The man gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Let… me… go…!"

"What the hell?!" The voice of another man showed up as he ran towards the monster, "Let go of him!"

The monster then tossed his prey at the second man.

"Argh!"

He then pulled out two empty bottles and pointed at the men, making them glow.

"Uh-oh!" The first man said as they both began ti panic as an invisible force was pulling them towards the monster, "No… No!"

"NOOOOOOO-!"

The two were then turned into energy and were sucked into the bottles, giving them some color and a ferocious appearance. The monster then stared at them in disappointment as the boy vanished into thin air.

 ** _"Tennis… Karate…"_** The monster said before walking off, searching for more victims, ** _"Not a Best Match…"_**


	3. Chapter 0002

_**Chapter 0002: The Beast Wars of Time Begin! Part 3:**_

 _ **The Coronation of 2018!**_

In the rural suburbs of Divinity City - about 6:15 in the morning - Logan and his friends were waiting by the gate leading up to the mountains via a dirt trail for Ezekiel with their rides so they can finally start Project: Mountain Run. Before they could even go, however, Zeke had to make some finishing touches with their rides. He told them before they go up there camping, they should go riding up there in style. It took a summer's worth of begging and convincing, but Zeke finally managed to get them to let him give the rides new paint jobs. Of course, the others were reluctant at first, since Zeke isn't exactly the best at art; they were all worried he would make the bikes and go-kart look so bad, the kids at school would be given another reason to call them all lasers. They tried to take their minds off the fact and started thinking about what a great experience this camping trip will be.

Logan was pacing back and forth in front of the mountain trail. He was thinking about the "dream" he had yesterday. He was considering telling his friends about it, but he doesn't know how they'll react. Logan was also considering canceling the trip up the mountain, but got rid of that thought, knowing that he and his friends have been looking forward to it all summer. As he went through his thoughts, his friend Oliver noticed the worried look on his face and spoke up.

"What are you worried about, man?" He asked, catching Logan's attention, "This camping trip is bound to change our lives for the better."

"That's what I'm worried about, Oliver," Logan replied, "I'm worried something bad will happen if we're not prepared…"

"Logan, relax, okay?" Oliver said, "We all have our driver's licenses, and we've studied all the trails on the mountains, and the location for our trip is secluded from any animals-"

"That's not what I meant, Oliver," Logan cut him off, surprising Oliver and Nikki.

"Then what do you mean, man?" Oliver asked in confusion, wondering why his friend was acting so strangely.

"Well, uh…" Logan stuttered, a bit hesitant to tell him and Nikki the truth of his worriedness. Luckily, he didn't have to answer due to them hearing a truck's horn. They turned their heads to the main road and saw a transport truck with Zeke in the passenger seat and his father in the driver's seat. On the truck's trailer, their rides, the Mountain Runners, were strapped down, with noticeable paint jobs. The first Runner was a motorcycle that was painted silver, white and gray with red lights upfront, looking like a face and some magenta highlights. It had a black seat and controls, and two hands of a clock above the lights. The second Runner was also a custom-built mountain bike with parks from a dark blue motorcycle, a black cushion seat, and some homemade metal wings welded onto the sides, resembling those of a giant bat. The third and final Mountain Runner was a homemade four-seat mountain crawler with custom parts to make it more maneuverable up on the mountain's terrain. It was painted red upfront and blue in the back, and had a GPS computer in the front seats, while the back seats were holding camping equipment. On top of the crawler were the tents needed for spending the weekend up at the clearing on the first mountain.

Needless to say, the gang was speechless at the sight of the Mountain Runners' paint job. Normally Zeke's artistic ways were either sloppy or just painful to see with the naked eye. But these were a major improvement compared to past art he made.

As the truck stopped and Zeke and his father got out, Logan was the first to speak up, "Whoa, Zeke… these things look awesome."

"Thanks, man," Zeke replied, "But I had a little help from Dad."

"You're welcome, Zeke," His father smirked as he went back to unhook the straps holding the Mountain Runners in place. He appeared to be a middle-aged man with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a red checkered shirt, dark blue jeans and a blue football cap with the Chargers' logo on it. He unhooked the straps before the kids all got up onto the trailer to guide their bikes and crawler off and towards the gate. Zeke and Nikki's father then went to the gate, unlocked the chains keeping it in place, and opened it for them and their friends.

"Remember kids, be careful up there," "If something bad happens, radio home or the ranger station up there. If all else fails, you head down the mountain immediately. Understand?"

"Yes, Dad," Zeke and Nikki replied.

"Don't worry, Mr. Bishop," Logan reassured him, "We'll be back before you know it."

"Let's hope so because Zeke and Nikki's mom is acting a bit hysterical on heading up there by yourselves,"

"When is she ever not worrying?" Oliver said as he admired the blue bike.

"Touche, but still…" Mr. Bishop said with an adjustment of his hat, "Stay safe up there."

"We will!" The friends all exclaimed with nods.

"Good to hear," Mr. Bishop said as he got back in his truck, "Have fun up there, kids!"

Mr. Bishop then drove off back towards the back to his workplace, leaving the kids with their respected vehicles.

"Alright, now that that's settled," Zeke began to explain, "Let me show you guys the features these babies have."

"Explain away, Zeke,"

"Oliver, you have the Sapphire Beast Mountain Runner, with offroad suspension, slick maneuverability, and off-the-charts speed," Zeke introduced Oliver's bike, "You should have no problem getting traversing the rough mountain terrain."

"Nice!" Oliver complimented as he literally hugged his own bike.

"Nikki, you and I have Savage Twin Crosser, also with offroad treads and suspension, but with room for supplies and tough reinforced steel," Zeke explained further, "There's also a custom-built radio transmitter for long-range communication - which is really for emergencies - and a wireless hotspot for our GPS."

"Why do we need a GPS?" Nikki asked in confusion.

"Again, in case of emergencies," Zeke replied before facing Logan and his bike.

"I take it this one's mine?" Logan asked in interest.

"The Royal Time Striker," Zeke explained, making Logan think that was a pun on his old dream, "Built with everything; reinforced steel, off-road suspension and treads, a clock, and off-the-charts speed."

"Wow, Zeke," Logan said, "These are amazing."

"Glad you guys like them," Zeke said before grabbing four helmets from the back seat of the Savage Twin Crosser, "Grab your helmets, everyone."

Everyone went over to grab their helmets. Even they know it's dangerous to operate powerful machinery without protection. After everyone grabbed a helmet, they went to their respected Mountain Runners. They all strapped on their helmets, hopped on and into their vehicles, and were now prepared to disembark on their journey up the first mountain.

"Ready, guys?" Logan asked.

"Ready!" They all replied in enthusiasm.

"Alright," Logan said as he kicked up the kickstand, "Nikki, initiate launch sequence."

"Go it!" Nikki exclaimed as she and her brother strapped in and began counting down, "Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven…"

As she counted down, Oliver kicked up his kickstand and began revving up his bike.

"Six… Five…"

Logan began revving up his bike as well, with a face of determination.

"Four… Three…"

Zeke then started up the crawler by inserting the key and pressing the startup button.

"Two… One…"

"GO FOR IT!"

The teens then went full throttle and sped off past the gate and up the mountain trail. The four teens traversed the rough terrain with sharp turns around rock formations, jumps above gaps, and skidding under, launching over or ramming into fallen down trees. Logan and his friends were yelling in excitement with a few "yahoo"s, "yeah"s, and "right on"s.

"Zeke, Nikki, you guys have done it again!" Logan exclaimed loudly.

"This is amazing!" Oliver commented in loud excitement.

"Took a whole summer to do this, and it was worth it!" Nikki yelled as they began heading up the mountain.

"So where to, Zeke?!" Oliver asked.

"Just keep heading up and look for the largest clearing there is!" Zeke explained loudly, "That's where we're caping for the night!"

The four friends zoomed up the mountain without a care in the world. However, in doing so, they failed to notice a young man watching them. He appeared to be an eighteen-year-old man with white skin, black hair, blue eyes and wearing a unique style of clothing, colored in black and red, with a black body harness over his shirt and a red symbol on the back resembling a clock. He stared at the group in anger and determination in his eyes.

"Oma Zi-O…" He seethed before revealing a silver bike with resembling a watch with red lights, "I will stop you… one way or another…"

He then revved up the bike and sped on after them. However, he failed to see a blue and red creature stepping out from the cover of the trees. It growling and eventually stalked after them, like a predator stalking its prey.

* * *

 ** _TWIN FANG MOUNTAIN; 8:32 A.M._**

* * *

At the Maximal base, the Maximals were gathering some of the scattered parts from their ship. Since their ship was damaged by the Predacons, some parts were scattered across the planet. A few landed nearby, but most were sent much farther away. And that's not the least of their worries; the parts have been laying on the planet for millions of years, so they must be almost defective by now. Nevertheless, the Maximals _must_ retrieve the lost components and back on their mission with retrieving the Key and Golden Disk, arresting the Predacons, and returning to Cybertron. However, doing these tasks would prove to be difficult.

"How's it looking, Rattrap?" Optimus asked the rat, who was scurrying within the exterior armor via a large hole, looking for anything out of place. The rat robot's then popped his head out from the hole.

"Eh… no good, boss monkey," Rattrap said worriedly as he jumped out onto the ground and explained the situation, "The shields are an easy fix, but dat's the least of our worries; the online defense network and onboard weapons are completely wrecked! That makes dis ship good enough as a target for the Preds."

"Is it possible to repair both of them?" Optimus asked hopefully.

"If we had the right parts, then it would only take a few days," Rattrap sighed before exclaiming, "But we don't have the right parts, so it'll take months if not years!"

Just then, Cheetor appeared from the ship via the platform before jumping off and onto the ground.

"Man, when do we stop repairing and start exploring?!" Cheetor complained anxiously, "I can't wait to take these new beast forms on a test drive!"

"Easy, Cheetor," Optimus held his hand up, gesturing the cat bot to be patient, "We're still recovering from that crash, so it's best we take it easy. Not to mention, we're low on supplies on a planet we know nothing about, and that includes its geography. We can't just go exploring while we're blind."

As they conversed, Rhinox set up what looked like an alien camera drone before sending it up into the sky. Rhinox turned on the computer console he was working with and activated the drones camera, revealing forests and something that definitely looked familiar to him.

"We may be blind, I think we actually _might_ know something about this planet," Rhinox said, catching the attention of his fellow robot explorers, "Look!"

He gestured them to look at the computer screen and what the saw shocked them. It was a concrete road filled with speeding vehicles. To see vehicles like these it could only mean one thing: the planet they were on was Earth…

"Are those…?" Rattrap gasped in shock.

"Cars and trucks; human-made vehicles," Rhinox finished that sentence, "I recognize them from researching the Cybertronian Exploration Archives."

"Wait, if these are human-made vehicles, then wouldn't that mean…" Cheetor began, thinking the same thing the others were thinking with his hair standing on end.

"We're on Earth…" Optimus said in confirmation, "The legendary battlegrounds of the Autobots and Decepticons, and the birthplace and homeworld of Kamen Rider Build himself…"

The Maximals all looked at each other in both excitement and shock. Sure they were exploration team, but they weren't exactly expecting to find one of the most famous locations in Cybertronian history, let alone Earth.

"Heh, and here we thought being stuck on this rock was a problem," Cheetor asked, getting a tingling feeling in his circuits, "Do you guys think Build will give me an autograph if we ever run into him?"

"Haha, we'll see, Cheetor," Optimus assured the cheetah bot before getting serious, "But our primary focus now is scavenging for any parts we'll need to repair the Axelon."

Cheetor nodded in response as he continued watching the cars and trucks speed up and down the road. Needless to say, he was in awe.

"Man, look at them go!" He said in awe of the speed.

"Ah, they're fast alright," Optimus commented, "Reminds me of your vehicle mode back on Cybertron."

"Hey, you think _that's_ speed?" Cheetor said with pride, "You haven't seen the _Golden Rocket_. Check _this_ out!"

Cheetor then sped off like a jet toward one of the mountains, much to Optimus' dismay.

"Cheetor! No! We have to stay together as a group!" Optimus shouted out, but it was too late. Cheetor was already too far away to hear. Optimus then decided to contact via the commlinks. Optimus pressed his hand on the left of his chest to call his scout back.

"Cheetor, return to base immediately!" Optimus ordered, "We don't have time for this!"

The commander waited for a response, but all he got was static, not that Cheetor got his message anyway as he got farther and farther away. Something was interfering with communications, enough to make it impossible for Cheetor to receive Optimus' orders.

"Cheetor?" Optimus spoke again, hoping for a response as Cheetor disappeared from sight range, "Please, respond!"

"No good, the energon fields mess up the comm-links," Rhinox explained the cause of the interference, "Anything over a hundred meters, they ain't worth scrap."

"Well, that's just prime," Optimus sigh. Something told him it was going to be a long time before they got back up into space.

"So, uh…" Rattrap caught his attention before asking, "Is this your first day on the job or what?"

"Shut up, Rattrap," Optimus said to the rat, not in the mood for anymore complaining.

"Oh, _yes sir,"_ Rattrap stood up on his hind legs like a soldier, speaking sarcastically, "Ya know, I feel just heaps better knowing our lives are in your capable hands… "

Rattrap then looked out into the unknown world, not liking anything that possibly comes next.

"…We're all gonna die."

* * *

 _ **OPPOSITE SIDE OF TWIN FANG MOUNTAINS; 9:17 A.M.**_

* * *

On the other side of the mountains, the two flying Predacons, Waspinator and Terrorsaur, were soaring through the air, searching for the Key. Since last night when the Predacons decided to divide and conquer - a bit literally there - they've been searching for the legendary artifact nonstop for hours. Due to this, they were starting to get exhausted, with Waspinator growing more bored by the minute.

"Wazzpinator cannnnot feel winnngs," He complained with a buzz as he put some space between every other flap of his wings, "Where izz zzztupid Key?"

"Stop complaining, Waspinator!" Terrorsaur scolded him, "We'll find it when we find it!"

"Ohhh…" Waspinator groaned, knowing this might last a bit longer than he wanted. The flying duo then reached the location of the coordinates they were given to find and retrieve the so-called "Key".

"Alright, these are the last known coordinates of the Key's location," Terrorsaur said as his onboard computer gave him trajectory patterns of the most possible crash site of the artifact, courtesy of Tarantulas, "According to the trajectory calculations from Tarantulas, the Key's should have landed right around here."

Terrorsaur's computer narrowed down the location of the relic to a cliff up high on the mountain, and concluded that was the location of the Key's crash site. The two Predacons then flew over to the crash site, though it didn't look like anything crashed there recently, most likely due to the fact that it has been millions of years since they've arrived. Some native organic could have moved it, or shifts in the Earth's crust. They searched the cliff, but there was no sign of the Key or the frequency matching the one they were looking for.

"Ugh, not here," Waspinator buzzed, ready to call it quits. Terrorsaur was also ready to get out of there, but before they could take off, he got a reading on his on-board computer. This got him curious, especially since the Key was emitting pulses of it's frequency. The duo then decided to follow the pulses and locate the source. It led them to a group of trees and bushes, which they passed through, surprisingly, finding a large hole leading down into the mountain.

"Hmm…" Terrorsaur tapped the side of his beak, "It appears the Key isn't just on the mountain, but inside it."

"Wazzpinator don't want to fly downnn there," Waspinator whined, not wanting to fly any more than what he has to.

"We'll have to report this news to Megatron," Terrorsaur ignored the wasp before activating his commlink, "Terrorsaur calling Megatron, do you read me?"

All Terrorsaur could get on the opposite end of the line was nothing but static.

"Megatron, do you read me?!" Terrorsaur repeated the message, but there was still nothing but static "Argh, it must be energon interference. We'll have to go on without them."

"But Wazzzpinator don't want to!" Waspinator complained loudly.

"Would you rather let the Maximals get the Key first?!" Terrorsaur countered, reminding the wasp that there would be consequences for failing to retrieve the Key, courtesy of Megatron himself.

"Wazzzpinator going!" Waspinator exclaimed in fear before quickly flying down the hole, followed by the pterodactyl.

* * *

 _ **THE FIRST TWIN FANG MOUNTAIN; 11:47 A.M.**_

* * *

A few hours have passed, but Logan and his friends finally found a clearing for them to set up camp. They had to cross rough terrain and avoid obstacles with the help of their Mountain Runners, but it was definitely worth it to get them there. The clearing they had to themselves was basically a cliff surrounded by trees and bushes close to the mountain with a good view of the zenith and the horizon. They had parked their vehicles up close to the trees, since that was the only way to the road they traversed, set up a pile of sticks in a circle of rocks as the campfire, and were now pitching up their tents; four to be exact.

"Oh, yeah," Nikki said with an excited smile as she finished pitching up her tent, "This is definitely worth the wasted summer vacay."

"Agreed," Oliver replied as he had a bit of trouble setting up his tent, "Next summer we should spend building helicopters instead."

"We'll see, Oliver," Zeke said with a chuckle before pointing out facts, "Although that might take five summers, three of which just finding the parts."

"…" Oliver mumbled before shrugging his shoulders saying, "Eh, who needs a chopper anyway?"

The four friends laughed at the joke before finishing up what they were doing. After Logan was done, he sighed with a smile before looking at the cliff's view of everything. He walked closer to the ledge and stared from down below at the bottom of the mountain to up at the view that was given. From there he could see Divinity City, the rural district and all cars and trucks heading in and out of the city. Logan just stared at the view, thinking of what his parents might think, but was interrupted by Oliver tapping his shoulder, releasing him of his trance.

"Logan?" Oliver said with a quirked brow.

"Yeah, Oliver?" Logan replied.

"You were staring off into the horizon, man," Oliver explained the state Logan was in bluntly, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Eh, I was just thinking," Logan simply replied before reaching into his shirt and grabbing the locket watch his great uncle gave him yesterday and looked at it. The sight of the locket watch surprised his friends.

"Is that your uncle's pocket watch?" Nikki asked in surprise.

"Sure is, Nikki," Logan nodded, "He gave it to my father years ago, but was given back to him after Mom and Dad died. And just last night, he gave it to me."

"Oh, man…" Oliver said in disbelief.

"And it's not just a pocket watch either," Logan said as he opened it, revealing his parents, his great uncle Robert, his older sister Rose in her teen years, and him when he was six years old, "It's also a locket."

"Whoa…" Zeke commented in interest, "You know, there are only a few pictures I've seen of your parents, and this one just made the list."

"Yeah," Logan let out a sigh before looking at the picture, "Well, if they were still here, what do you think they would say and what they might think if they see me now?"

His friends looked at him, knowing he was a bit saddened by the memories of the picture. They knew he needed support right now, so that's what they gave him as Oliver placed his left hand on Logan's shoulder.

"Well, first of all, I'm pretty sure they'd say they were proud of you, for both school and riding all the way up here," Oliver said in support, "Secondly, they'd think they couldn't ask for a better son."

"Oh, shut up, Oliver," Logan chuckled as his frown faded away.

"I'm serious, Logan," Oliver said as they looked at each other, "You're a great guy compared to those snobbish rich jackasses down at the school. You're friendly, kind, funny and smart."

"Heh… I'm not that smart, man," Logan humbly said before looking back at the locket, "I do, honestly, wish they were still here."

"Hey, they're always with you, man," Nikki said with a fist to the heart, "Inside your heart."

"Awfully poetic of you Nikki," Logan said jokingly.

"HAHAHA!" Everyone started bursting into laughter. They honestly couldn't ask for a day to get better than this. As they all finished laughing, Zeke felt a sensation telling him to do something real quick and real badly.

"Well, I'm gonna go in the woods," Zeke said before walking into the trees surrounding them, "Nature's calling my name and I need to lighten my load."

"Ugh, Zeke…" Oliver said in disgust, with everyone shaking their heads in equal disgust.

"TMI, my brothers," Nikki said as she set up a chair for her to sit on.

"Agreed," Logan nodded his head as he and Oliver sat on two other chairs, "I mean, I love the guy, but there are boundaries."

It wasn't too long after Zeke went to go, that the gang heard one of their walkie talkies go off.

 _"This is ground level calling the mountain team,"_ The voice of Zeke and Nikki's father spoke from the talkie, _"Do you read me, mountain team?"_

Oliver then walked to the vehicles and grabbed the talkie before replying.

"I read you, Mr. Bishop," He said.

 _"Oliver?"_ Mr. Bishop said, not expecting his kids' friend to answer, _"Where's Zeke and Nikki?"_

"Oh, Nikki's here with me, and Zeke heard 'the call of nature'," Oliver replied with an air quote gesture.

 _"Ah,"_ Mr. Bishop said understandingly, _"Just remind him to try not to go on the wrong bush. Last time he accidentally squatted on poison oak."_

"Ooh, ouch," Oliver winced with a chuckle, "I remember that; he had to put gold bond down there for days to keep it from getting itchy."

Logan and Nikki then laughed at the memory of the event.

 _"Yeah, just make sure that doesn't happen again,"_ Mr. Bishop requested, sounding like he didn't want Zeke to go through that again.

"Yes sir, over and out," Oliver said before putting away the walkie talkie and at down in another chair. Logan and Nikki were confused as to why he wasn't going to go into the woods to tell him the news.

"Aren't you gonna go and tell Zeke the info?" Logan asked in curiosity.

"Trust me, he'll be fine," Oliver said as he grabbed a water bottle and opened it, "After all this time, he should know what poison oak looks like, am I right?"

"Eh, touche," Logan shrugged before grabbing a water himself and sipping down.

Three minutes have passed and Zeke emerged from a bush after doing his business. He zipped up his fly and took out a half-full water bottle and poured it onto his hands, and did the same thing with a small hand soap container. Zeke washed off his hands with the last of the water he had and sighed.

"Alright, I hope that wasn't poison oak," He said hopefully as he began walking back to camp before hearing a twig snap, "Hm?"

Zeke stopped in his tracks before walking towards the assumed direction of the snapping sound. He peeked from behind a tree and saw someone along, partially hidden by a few trees.

"Hello?" Zeke called out to the figure, but it kept limping along. He squinted his eyes, hoping to see the details of the figure, but at his angle, it was indescribable. Zeke then noticed it was walking along towards their campsite. He then started to think the east crazy and most possible explanation for the strange figure.

'Probably some other camper trying to pull a prank,' Zeke thought with a smirk, not knowing the severity of the situation as an idea jolted in his brain, 'But wait 'till he gets a taste of his own medicine.'

Zeke quietly tip-toed towards the mysterious figure, wanting to scare him the same way he would scare them. He was eventually right behind him, and then…

"BOO!"

The figure then turned around immediately at the sound of Zeke's scare. Though it looked more monstrous than human, being red, black and blue with sharp teeth and claws, and eyes resembling a red rabbit and a blue tank, with the word "BUILD" on his chest.

 _"Hm…?!"_ The creature stared at Zeke, almost unfazed by his prank. Zeke laughed a bit, but was startled at the sight of this… thing. It didn't stop him from smiling though.

"Whoa… some costume, dude!" Zeke complimented before wanting answers, "Well, it's clear my prank didn't work that well, so come on, take that ugly thing off."

The creature responded by growling at Zeke. This didn't scare Zeke as he still thought it was a prank.

"Dude, seriously," Zeke said bluntly, getting bored of the creature's 'act', "You can stop the growling."

That did not stop the creature. It just walked closer and closer to Zeke with its growling getting louder and more aggressive every second. Eventually, Zeke had enough of the act.

"I mean it, man, knock it off!" Zeke exclaimed as he stepped forward and attempted to pry the creature's face off, thinking it was just a mask. It was when it wouldn't come off, and the fact the beast got him off by actually scratching a hole in his shirt, was when Zeke backed up and realized this was no joke.

"Oh, you're not joking, are you?" Zeke asked before chuckling nervously, "Hehehe…"

The monster replied with an inhuman snarl.

 _"RRRR!"_

"AAAAAHHH!" Zeke screamed in fear before running off towards the campsite, with the monster right on his tail. The scream he let out was so loud, the others could tell it meant trouble.

"What the…?!" Logan stuttered as they all stood up and looked to the woods, "Was that Zeke?!"

"If it is, it sounds like he's in trouble!" Oliver said, and their suspicions were confirmed when he came out running in a panicked sprint.

"M-Mon… Mos… Ster" He stuttered in fright as he stopped right in front of his friends.

"Zeke?!" Nikki said, not knowing what he was saying before slapping him right across the face to calm him down before yelling, "ZEKE, CALM THE HELL DOWN ALREADY!"

"M-M-M-MONSTER!" Zeke clarified in a terrified yell, confusing his friends.

"Monster?" Logan said with a quirked brow in disbelief, "What are you talking about?!"

"There's a monster in the woods!" Zeke explained, still panicking. His friends, however, weren't buying it, thinking it was just a ruse to rile them up.

"Dude, you're screwing with us," Oliver proclaimed.

"I'm not!" Zeke denied as he pulled out his shirt and showed them the scratch it left, "Things that nearly kill me I don't take lightly! You all know that!"

"Pfft, yeah right," Nikki scoffed "Zeke, there's no such things as monsters, and if there were…"

"Uh, Nikki?" Logan's voice caught their attention as they saw him staring at the woods. But they soon learned it wasn't the woods he was staring at, but the monster Zeke was yelling about. The sight of the beast made their jaws drop, and shake a bit in both fear and shock.

"…Okay, we believe you," Oliver said bluntly as the beast stared at them menacingly as the "eyes" blinked. Logan stared back at the beast, and felt a sense of familiarity around it.

'This monster?' Logan thought in shock, 'It almost looks like that character from my dream.'

The monster then suddenly charged at the group, ready to strike. The friends all spread out to avoid the monster's strike.

"Run!" Nikki shouted as she attempted to make it to the Mountain Runners before the monster quickly jumped into her path at inhuman speed.

"Where?!" Zeke shouted a reply, "There's only one way out and that's past Mr. Monster Man!"

The monster then summoned two basketballs made out of some kind of energy and threw them at the friends.

"LOOK OUT!" Oliver shouted as they _barely_ dodged the basketballs. Oliver, Zeke and Nikki tried to make a run for it, but wound up running right into each other. As they fell to the ground the monster walked slowly towards them. Logan saw this and wasn't going to let his friends go without a fight.

"Guys!" Logan exclaimed as he grabbed the monster's right arm, but was shook off like water on a dog, "Argh!"

"LOGAN!" The friends shouted in shock as Logan rolled across the ground landing close to the ledge, with the monster approaching him now. As Logan attempted to get up, he then noticed something on the ground near his head. He grabbed it with his free hand and stared at it, feeling like he saw it before.

"What the…?!" Logan said as he stood up, unaware of how close the monster was getting to him, "This watch…?"

It then hit him; the realization of the truth about that dream…

"It wasn't a dream!" Logan remembered everything that happened yesterday, from gaining the watch, Geiz trying to kill him, Tsukuyomi saving him, to meeting Kamen Rider Build.

Just then, someone shot the beast from behind, stunning him and shocking Logan and his friends.

"Who the-what the-?!" Zeke stuttered before looking at the direction of the shots and saw the most beautiful girl he ever saw in his life, making him swoon, "Ooh…"

Logan recognized her: it was Tsukuyomi!

"It's her!" Logan exclaimed in shock.

"Who the hell are you?!" Oliver yelled in panic.

"Just get behind me!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed, and the sight of the monster getting ready to charge at them again was enough to make them oblige. The beast shot more basketballs at them, but Tsukuyomi blocked them with her shots. She then saw Logan with the very watch he had in his hand. Her eyes widened in fear as she caught his attention.

"No!" She shouted at him, "Get rid of that watch! If you use it then you'll destroy everything!"

"What?!" Zeke quirked a brow, not liking that they were having a conversation in the middle of a fight.

"Why are talking to Logan like that?!" Nikki asked in equal shock.

"Dude, you know this girl?!" Oliver asked in equal shock and confusion, knowing Logan's not one for talking to girls, especially ones older than him. Logan stared back down at his watch, remembering how Tsukuyomi said that with it, he could gain ultimate power.

"Get rid of it now!" She demanded, blocking more shots, "Give up that foolish dream of being a king already!"

Those words confused Logan's friends, especially about the fact she knows about his dream of being a king.

"It's not foolish!" Logan responded as he stood up and explained his reasons, "When I was a kid, I've always wanted to be king, to make a better world so people can smile and have nothing to fear. And I would protect that peace and happiness with my life. When I thought like that, the only choice is to become a king!"

Those words shocked Tsukuyomi. This was definitely not the demon king she knew in 2068.

"Yes…" A familiar voice spoke, and everyone saw that it was the strange man Logan ran into yesterday.

"You simply must become king," He said insistently, holding his book tightly with a smirk.

"Another strange dude?!" Oliver said, thinking all of this talk about being a king was bizarre, "Is everyone acting crazy today?!"

"Woz…?" Tsukuyomi spoke in shock, wondering why her enemy was here, "What are you doing here?!"

"The power of Zi-O is unrivaled throughout time," Woz explained before facing Logan again, "Use that very power and the very world, including past, present and future, will be yours to command."

"Again, is everyone here crazy?!" Oliver repeated with a more demanding tone.

"Duck!" Zeke said as a basketball from the monster came at them. They all ducked out of the way, hoping this ill-timed conversation would end soon.

"I see…" Logan replied to Woz before asking him, "But if I do so, wouldn't that mean becoming the most evil overlord in history?"

"Which is why you shouldn't do so!" Tsukuyomi shouted insistently, "Don't bring about that evil!"

"Logan, what the hell is everyone talking about?!" Oliver demanded answers.

Logan gave it every thought. If he were destined to be an overlord, then maybe he could rewrite his destiny. He never wanted to be evil, he wanted to bring forth a new peaceful age of prosperity. He then nodded in determination before speaking up.

"Alright," He said, "I've made up my mind."

"If I am destined to be king…" Logan proclaimed, "Then I shall follow my destiny."

That statement made his friends quirk their brows in confusion as Tsukuyomi stared at him in shock and Woz smirked triumphantly.

"But I won't be a tyrant," Logan explained further into detail, "As a matter of fact, as of this day, I promise to be the greatest and most beloved king in history! The king who will save the world!"

Needless to say, that statement shocked everyone.

"Hm?!" Oliver said.

"What?!" Nikki exclaimed.

"Huh?!" Woz said as his smile was replaced with a shocked expression.

"Seriously?!" Zeke said in disbelief.

Just then, the watch in his hand then lit up bright as it changed from mechanical black to black with a white ring in front with the symbol for "Rider" on top and the year 2018 on the bottom, with the symbol for "Masked" and a button on top of the watch. It had transformed into a Ridewatch.

"The watch… it changed?" Logan stared at it in shock.

"Your belt, My King," Woz approached Logan with the belt Geiz was wearing on top of a red cushion with gold highlights, "You should know how to use it."

Logan then took the belt stared at it for a second before bringing down to his waist. It then wrapped itself around Logan, fitting snugly.

 _ **Ziku-Driver!**_

"Then let's do this thing," Logan declared as he held out the Ridewatch, rotated the ring - making a helmet face - and pressed the button on top.

 _ **Zi-O!**_

Logan then slid the Ridewatch onto the right side of the belt and pressed the button on top, making the belt tilt counterclockwise. Four clocks appeared on the screen with a giant holographic one appearing behind Logan, turning in reverse. Logan then decided to pose for the action with his right arm down next to his belt and bringing his left arm right. The sight of this reminded Tsukuyomi of the statue of him in 2068, making her fear the worst. Logan then rotated his palm to behind him, ready to change into the new king of time.

 _"Henshin!"_ He exclaimed as he swung his left arm down and left, rotating the belt 360 degrees and locking it into place with a clock chime, with the Ridewatch and belt screen lighting up, saying "Zi-O". Reality literally rotated with the clock behind him, with magenta symbols forming and launching out. Giant wristwatch bands made out of energy then surrounded and rotated around Logan.

 _ **Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Zi-O!**_

The wristwatches then dissipated as Logan was now in his new form. He was now clad in a black watch-like suit similar to Geiz's but with a silver watchband, and having the hands of time sticking out diagonally from his silver white-faced, clock-like helmet. He had some magenta and silver highlights on his shoulders, chest and legs, had magenta fingers on his gloves, which were armored with Ridewatch holders. The belt was then labeled with the year 2018, The magenta symbols then shrunk and came back at Logan and slammed into his face, making a magenta visor of Katakana Japanese.

 _カメン = "Kamen"_

 _ライダー = "Rider"_

As of this day, Logan Briggs will go by another name… Kamen Rider Zi-O!

"HUH!?" Logan's friends yelled in shock, feeling like they were dreaming, but knew they weren't

"Whoa…" Logan said as he stared at his new suit and hands. It was then a certain someone decided to give introductions.

 _"Rejoice!"_ Woz called out, with his book opened up as he introduced Logan in his new form, _"He is the one to inherit the powers of all Riders! The King who shall rule over all of time and space! The overlord who shall control the past, present and future! He is… Kamen Rider Zi-O! Bow before your new lord and master!"_

"No…" Tsukuyomi said dishearted, feeling like she failed her mission.

"I think…" Logan said as he held his helmet before declaring, "I think I can do this!"

Logan then charged at the beast, ready to fight. What he wasn't expecting was to _actually_ fight back against it and pushed it back with a punch to the chest. The beast held its chest in pain as Logan looked as his armored fist in awe.

"Holy…" He commented, knowing that never had his kind of strength before as he charged at the monster again, locking them in an all-out fist fight. Feeling like he wasn't needed anymore at the time, Woz closed his book and walked away into the forest.

'Such power…' Logan thought in awe, 'I barely could stand up to bullies back then. But know I'm strong enough to protect my friends, my family, and my future subjects from… whatever this thing is.'

Zi-O then punches the monster back again, but before he could land another strike, the monster threw an energy ball at him, sending him to the ground.

"Argh!" He groaned before starting to get up, "Ow… That hurt…"

Logan was then surprised by a watch-like sword with magenta katakana symbols appearing from his belt.

 _ **Zikan Girade!**_

 _ **Ken!**_

 _ケン = "Sword"_

"A sword?" He said with a quirked brow under his helmet before the monster threw another ball at him.

Logan immediately stood up and blocked the shot with his new sword before charging at the creature. He pressed down on the trigger and swung the sword, sending the monster reeling back onto the ground.

"Ah, nice," Logan commented as he admired the sword. However, the admiration came to an end as the monster stood in a crouching position, looking pissed off.

 _"Why,you…!"_ It growled as it summoned another ball, dribbled it and jumped into the sky, ready to finish off the new Kamen Rider.

"Uh-oh," Zi-O said in panic before seeing a slot on the sword, making him wonder, "Wait, what if I…?"

Logan looked down at his Ridewatch before removing it from the Ziku-Driver. He then placed it into the slot on the sword, activating a new ability.

 _ **FINISH TIME!**_

As the monster dived towards him, Logan got into a pre-jump stance.

"It's time to end this!" He proclaimed as he jumped as swung his sword at the monster.

 _ **Zi-O… GIRI GIRI SLASH!**_

Zi-O swung the sword, cutting the ball in half and destroying it, and striking the monster as a clock appeared temporarily before exploding. The monster's body was then sent falling into the woods, defeated. Logan then stood up and placed the Ridewatch back into his belt, admiring its abilities

"Well, glad that's over with," Logan sighed in relief before putting his two index fingers on his forehead. Logan's friends then ran past Tsukuyomi to him, all of which in shock, awe and confusion. It was time for them to get some answers, and they wanted them _now!_

"Dude!" Zeke exclaimed in shock.

"What the hell, man?!" Oliver yelled in both anger and confusion, "Since when could you fight like that?!"

"And how do you know this girl?!" Nikki asked demandingly

"Uh…" Logan tried to find the right words, but was bombarded with another question.

"And more importantly, what's all this stuff about being a king?!" Oliver asked as they all stared at him in suspicion.

"Well, um…" Logan stuttered, trying to find a good way to explain all of this.

"You!" Another familiar voice called out. It caught the attention of Zi-O and his friends as they saw a teenage man around Tsukuyomi's age. Logan recognized the voice from yesterday, and knew it could only be one person…

"I take it you're Nathaniel Gates?" He hazarded a guess, making his friends even more confused. They wondered how he knew all these people all of a sudden.

"Why'd you choose to be king?!" Geiz demanded, wondering why Logan would choose a dark path towards destruction. Logan remained silent for a moment before giving him an answer.

"I guess… no…" He began with a straight face, "I knew this was my destiny from the day I was born!"

Those words, once they reached Gates' ears, shocked him. He knew those words from back in 2068, where Oma Zi-O rules. They were the exact words said to him and the resistance fighters by the demon king himself.

 _"You fools could never defeat me,"_ Gates recalled the words, _"Do you know why…?"_

He then recalled the answer to Oma Zi-O's question.

 _"...Because I was born to be king…"_

Gates clenched his fist in anger and determination. If that was true, then there is only one way to defeat Oma Zi-O and change the future… one way to save the world from annihilation… the destruction of Logan Briggs… AKA Kamen Rider Zi-O!

"If that's so…" Gates began as he removed his personal Ridewatch from its holder, "Then I have no choice; I will put you down myself!"

"What?!" Oliver, Nikki and Zeke shouted in shock, hoping that was just a metaphor.

"Uh-oh…" Logan said in realization, knowing that wasn't a metaphor. Gates then pulled out his Ziku-Driver and placed it on his waist.

 _ **Ziku-Driver!**_

Gates then rotated the ring of the Ridewatch, which read "Rider" in Japanese and was dated 2068, into his Rider helmet and pressed on the button.

 _ **Geiz!**_

Logan and his friends watched as the future Rider began his transformation by inserting the watch and slamming his fist down on the belt's button. The screen of the belt, unlike Logan's, was showing binary code, and instead of a clock appearing behind him, there was a futuristic digital watch, rotating with digital numbers on it. Gates stuck his hands out forward, left above right, extended them out, rotated them clockwise before grabbing the tilted ends of the Driver.

 _"Henshin!"_ He called out with a stern face before spinning it. The watch behind him spun at the same time, making the belt say "Geiz" with a digital beeping. The giant yellow hiragana symbols for "Rider" appeared before launching out as red and black wristbands made of energy surrounded him, changing him.

 _ **Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Geiz!**_

Gates was now Kamen Rider Geiz as the wristbands vanished, revealing his suit. The belt read 2068 as Logan's friends stared at him in shock and awe. Geiz then pulled out a black Ridewatch with an orange ring and an eye symbol and the year 2015. He rotated the ring and activated the Ridewatch.

 _ **Ghost!**_

Geiz then inserted the Ridewatch into the opposite side of the belt, making it light up orange. He slammed the button on the belt down again before grabbing the Driver and spinning it once more.

 _ **ARMOR TIME!**_

The function allowed Geiz to summon some kind of armor in black that imitated his movements as he approached. The armor spread out and latched onto his body, making a black helmet with an orange faceplate and silver horn on the forehead, a black chest plate with an eye symbol in front, giant eyeballs a shoulder armor, and black leg armor with orange highlights.

 _ **Kaigan! GHO~ST!**_

Geiz's visor then went blank as new Hiragana symbols attached to his face.

 _ごーすと = "Ghost"_

This was new even for Logan, as he didn't know Geiz could do that. But right now was not the time for thoughts. Right now was a time to be worried.

"Oma Zi-O, prepare to die!" Geiz declared, feeling ready to kill Logan.

Those words made Logan and his friends gasp in fright.

"Wait, just… hold on!" Zi-O said, trying to settle a peaceful negotiation. But Geiz was in no mood to talk, only to fight. He summoned four Parka Ghosts from the shoulders and charged at him. The four ghosts attacked him, and he was able to either dodge or block the attacks with his sword before Geiz punched him in the chest. Logan held his chest in pain before turning his face towards his friends. He couldn't let them get in more danger than they already were, so there was only one thing for him to do.

"Guys, get out of here!" Logan exclaimed, shocking his friends.

"But Logan…" Oliver tried to argue, but Logan was not going to let them get involved in this battle.

"NOW!" Zi-O shouted insistently, "I'LL CATCH UP WITH YOU GUYS!"

Logan's friends were at a loss; they wanted to run away, but they didn't want to leave their friend behind. But they realized that Logan was buying them time to escape, so they abide by his wish and fled the scene. Logan saw the direction they ran through as he fended off against Geiz as best as he could. With a back kick from Geiz, Zi-O was sent stumbling towards the ledge.

"Argh!" He groaned before looking behind him, and downward for that matter. Zi-O gulped in nervousness, feeling like this was the end.

"You won't be catching up with anyone, Oma Zi-O!" Geiz proclaimed, "It's time to finish what I started!"

Geiz then pressed the buttons on the Ridewatches, beginning his finisher.

 _ **FINISH TIME! GHOST!**_

Geiz slammed the button on the Ziku-Driver again, grabbed both sides, and spun it around, making it beep. Logan could only watch as Geiz jumped into the air, with the hiragana extending out to Zi-O.

 _ **OMEGA TIME BURST!**_

Logan panicked as he brought his sword up in a defensive position. He had a feeling the sword wasn't going to be enough to stop Geiz as he quickly descended into a dropkick towards him. What they weren't expecting was Tsukuyomi in her Time Majin punching him off course, deactivating his armor and having him land roughly on the ground. Logan lowered his sword and stared at her in shock. She was trying to prevent him from becoming Oma Zi-O like Geiz. Why the hell would she save his life again?

"Wha-?!" Logan said in disbelief, "You saved me again?"

 _"Don't just stand there!"_ Tsukuyomi exclaimed to him, _"Run!"_

"Oh, right!" Logan exclaimed in realization before immediately following the path his friends took. Eventually, he found them, resting up from running away at another cliff.

"Hey, guys!" Logan caught their attention with a shout.

"Logan!" Oliver said in relief as his friend stopped in front of them, "You okay, man?"

"I'm fine, but what about you guys?" Logan asked in worry.

"Same here, but you owe us an explanation!" Zeke exclaimed with a glare, wanting an explanation to all of this, "Now!"

"Can't it wait until we get out of-!"

Logan's question was cut off by another tremor. Normally, the tremors are usually average and small, but recently they've been occurring more often and have been getting bigger. This tremor, in particular, was the biggest so far as it literally lasted five seconds and nearly knocked them off balance.

"Uh… you guys felt that, too, right?" Logan asked, fearing what that quake could have done.

"Oh, I felt it alright," Nikki replied in equal fear, "And I don't like it."

Just then, another quake occurred, and it was even bigger than the last one. It shook the mountain so badly, it made the group of friends lose their balance. The earthquake could also be felt in Divinity City as traffic lights sparked, street lamps broke and fell into the street, and a few crashes happened to a few cars. But that was nothing, the quaking seemed to be coming from inside the mountain, as the shaking was more violent there. The large tremor was so strong, it began ripping a hole in the mountain where Logan and his friends were.

"Ah, crap, the quakes are opening up the mountain!" Logan shouted in panic before the cracks enlarged, revealing a naturally-formed water slide.

"Water?!" Oliver said in shock before hearing footsteps nearby. They turned around and saw Geiz right behind them.

"Oma Zi-O!" He called out in determination, "You're finished!"

"Oh, no, I'm not!" Logan shot back before staring at the water slide.

Nikki looked at him and saw the look he was making, despite the helmet covering his face, "Dude, you're not seriously thinking of-"

"COWABUNGA!" Zi-O called out as he jumped into the mountain and down the water slide.

"He was, and he just did!" Oliver said before deciding to follow Logan's example, "Let's go!"

The three friends then jumped down into the mountain after Logan. Geiz tried to follow them, but another quake hit, sealing off the crack.

"NO!" He shouted as he tried to get to the crack before it sealed shut, but it was too late. The way into the mountain was closed off, probably for good.

"DAMMIT!" Geiz said in frustration, knowing that every day Zi-O lives, Oma Zi-O destroys.

Logan and his friends were sliding through the water as it carried them deeper and deeper into the mountain. Despite being in a dangerous situation, they were actually having fun. That fun, however, eventually had to come to an end as they all tossed into an underground cavern, hitting the stone ground, the impact was so hard, it knocked them all unconscious. The friends just laid there, without a hope of getting out of the mountain. But as they laid there, a light shone from a crack in one of the walls. This light seemed to react with the Zi-O Ridewatch, but Logan would be unable to use it until he woke up.

* * *

 _ **TWIN FANG MOUNTAIN; 12:07 P.M.**_

* * *

Cheetor was about a quarter-mile away from the mountain Logan and his friends were camping on. He sped up, but when another quake hit, something on his onboard scanners detected a unique energy at a pulsing frequency. Cheetor hit the brakes once he got the spike, and looked up the mountain. The frequency seemed to be occurring a the exact same time as the quakes.

"What the…?" He said, baffled by the sudden appearance of the frequency, "What in the universe could that be?"

Cheetor looked up at the mountain, trying to see if his scanners can detect the source of the pulses. However, that proved to be difficult due to the fact that the energon fields were dampening the signal. It then dawned on him that the frequency-matched that of the Key he and the Maximals are searching for.

"Better check it out!" Cheetor exclaimed as he attempted to use his commlink, "Cheetor to Optimus, I think I might've found the Key! Requesting back up!"

Cheetor's commlink only replied with static, due to the energon fields. He kept attempting to contact the Maximals though.

"Optimus?" Cheetor said into the commlink once more, "Do you read me?!"

Once again, Cheetor was met with more static. He sighed in frustration, knowing he would have to search fo the Key on his own.

"Ah, scrap, looks like I'm on my own," He said before looking up the mountain one last time before back onto the trail that led to it, "Full speed ahead!"

Cheetor sped off again towards the mountain, in search for the Key. Although, what he's not expecting is the enemy closing in on the mountain. Megatron, Tarantulas and Scorponok were heading towards the mountain, also in search for the Key. The leader growled in frustration as they couldn't find it anywhere, but was still determined to find it before the Maximals do. As they approached the mountain, something popped up on Taratnulas' scanners. It was an energy signature, but not that of the Key.

"Megatron, look over there!" Tarantulas caught his leader's attention, pointing one of his hairy spider limbs up at the mountain.

"Hm?" Megatron said in curiosity before he and Scorponok looked at what the spider was looking at. It appeared on scanners as a red animal symbol; one that is definitely not one of their own.

"The Maximals?" Scorponok suggested.

"Maybe…" Megatron replied before looking stern with his T-Rex face, "We can't risk letting them get to the Key first! MOVE OUT!"

Megatron and his lackeys then made their way up the mountain, double-time. As they sped up, Megatron growled in anger, not wanting a weakling Maximal to get their filthy hands on the Key. But little did he know, he would encounter a new threat to his quest for power, one that will change not only the world, but the entire galaxy…


	4. Chapter 0003

_**Chapter 0003: The Beast Wars of Time Begin! Part 4:**_

 _ **The Key from a Robotic World 2018!**_

Within the deep cavern of the mountain, Logan slowly regained consciousness. The impact from him crashing down into the cavern must've knocked him out cold, for how long, though, was his guess. He groaned as he sat up and grasped his head, and once his eyes were open, he saw that he was wearing a helmet.

"What the…?" Logan said in confusion before it all suddenly came back to him. He remembered everything from the strange man and time-traveling girl, to the monster and Kamen Rider Geiz wanting to kill him.

"Oh, right… Geiz was trying to kill me, but then my friends and I were somewhat saved by another earthquake," He recalled how all of those events led him to become Kamen Rider Zi-O and how another tremor opened up a cavern that brought into the mountain. That's when it dawned on him…

"MY FRIENDS!" Logan quickly stood up before noticing his friends on the ground, all out cold.

Logan approached his friends one-by-one and checked their necks for a pulse, checking if they were still alive. Thankfully, there was one, making him sigh in relief. Logan thought for a moment - right then and there - he was going to lose people he cared about.

"Okay, good to see that they're just unconscious," He said before an H.U.D. appeared in his helmet, displaying his friends' vital signs, "Well, this is pretty cool."

Logan observed the injuries his friends obtained from the fall and spoke, "Hmm, some bruises, mostly on their arms, legs, and bodies, and, uh… ooh…"

Logan winced as he saw via X-Rays that Zeke's left forearm was swelling. He approached his friend before carefully sitting him up straight against the wall he landed near.

"Okay…" Logan said before carefully removing Zeke's backpack, and searching through it, looking for medical supplies, and to his luck, he found a first aid kit, "Nice, some bandages and an ice pack should patch you up."

Logan opened the kit and grabbed the bandage wraps and ice pack before applying it to Zeke's arm. Once he was finished, Logan stood up and looked down at his friend before saying, "Rest up, Zeke."

Logan turned to find his other friends unconscious, "You all need it. I'll find us a way out."

Logan dragged Oliver and Nikki and lined them up next to Zeke, sitting them up straight. He then turned away walked off to find a way out before hearing a splash caused by him stepping in something. Curious, Logan looked down and saw that he stepped in a small puddle of water before looking up and seeing a giant lake. Somehow, this mountain must've harbored this lake within, unbeknownst to anyone until now. Logan then looked up and saw the waterslide that brought them down under the mountain. He remembered how that was their ticket out of trouble when Geiz arrived, but now, he's not even sure that was a good idea since he and his friends are now trapped with no way out. And there's no telling when another tremor might hit, so Logan had to think fast. But before he could think about it, Logan looked down at a puddle, seeing his reflection. Logan knelt down and observed the new look, and saw how it resembled Oma Zi-O, the tyrant Tsukuyomi, Geiz and Woz claim he is in the future. But he's very different from him today, how could he become someone like that?

"My Liege," A familiar voice spoke out of nowhere, startling Zi-O.

"AAHHH!" He yelled in startlement, standing up and facing the prophet.

"Woz?" Zi-O asked in confusion, wondering how Woz made it into the mountain, "How… how did you get here?"

"I have my ways, Your Majesty," Woz explained bluntly.

"I'm sure you do," Logan replied in sarcasm before sighing with his hand to his forehead.

"Is something wrong, My Liege?" Woz asked in curiosity.

"Ah, it's just…" Logan began, "It's just weird to know that the dream I had yesterday was actually real. And it becomes even more terrifying knowing that I was nearly killed by some random people…"

Logan then had a thought: why would Woz want to meet with him personally like this. They were both in an unknown area of the mountain, with no one but animals being around to hear them scream when Woz kills him.

"Wait…" Zi-O stepped back a bit in wariness, "How do I know you're not here to kill me too?"

"Relax, Your Highness," Woz said, "Unlike Tsukuyomi and Gates, I am your ally."

"Oh, really?" Logan said skeptically, "Tsukuyomi told me yesterday that you, Woz, are here to guide me into being king. Is that true?"

"Correct, My King," Woz smiled in assurance, "I, Woz, am the prophet tasked with making sure history goes down its natural course. I am also tasked with foretelling the coming events that will lead you into becoming the absolute ruler of time, Oma Zi-O, the very king who'll inherit the powers of all Kamen Riders and destroy anyone in your path."

That last part got Logan curious. What are Kamen Riders exactly? What is their purpose?

"Yeah, you mentioned I was a 'Kamen Rider' before," Logan said, "Does that mean I'm like Build and Cross-Z?"

"Ah, I see you've met a few of your predecessors," Woz replied in enthusiasm, "But to answer your inquiry, yes and no. Yes, as in you can transform into a Rider, but also no, as in you'll have very different abilities as compared to previous Riders."

"Previous Riders?" Logan asked, "As in more than just two?"

"As in many, My Liege," Woz clarified, "But out of all of them in the Heisei Era, only nineteen proved to be the strongest Riders; the perfect candidates for you inheriting ultimate power."

"What's this 'inheritance' thing all about?" Logan asked, not knowing where this was going.

"It means you will gain the powers of the listed Riders via Ridewatches," Woz asked, confusing his future lord and master.

"Ride…watches?" Zi-O said with a quirked brow.

"Kuuga… Agito… Ryuki… Faiz… Blade…" Woz listed down the Riders in his book, "Hibiki… Kabuto… Den-O… Kiva… Decade… W… OOO… Fourze… Wizard… Gaim… Drive… Ghost… Ex-Aid… and Build."

Logan was stunned. He had never heard of Kamen Riders until just yesterday. And if they were real, how come nobody talks about them?

"And that leaves you, My King," Woz point at his king, "Logan Briggs… Kamen Rider Zi-O."

"Whoa…" Logan said in awe, "That many Riders?"

"Indeed," Woz nodded before explaining some more details of the future, "According to this book, _The Great Calamity Coming Calendar,_ with the powers of all of them, you will be unstoppable. And yet you shall be opposed by those who fear you."

"As a tyrant…" Logan added before hearing groaning. He and Woz turned their heads to see Oliver, Zeke, and Nikki moving slowly, indicating they were regaining consciousness, "It looks like my friends are coming to."

"Tend to them, Your Majesty," Woz said, before walking away, not that there was any way out, "They will be the only ones you can trust."

"Whatever you say, Woz," Zi-O replied as he walked over to his friends.

"Just one more thing, My King?" Woz stopped Logan about halfway.

"Yeah, Woz?" Logan replied, not even turning around.

"Beware, for otherworldly forces are at work," Woz warned him.

"What?" Logan quirked a brow before turning around to face the prophet, "What's that supposed to-"

When Logan turned around, Woz wasn't there. It was like yesterday; vanishing into thin air, leaving no trace of where could have gone. Hell, he couldn't have gone anywhere, this is an enclosed cavern.

"Huh? Gone again?" Logan said in disbelief before shaking his head with a shake of his head, "Damn, this guy's like a ghost."

Logan's head popped up as he heard another groan from his friends. Logan's head then jerked up as he heard more groaning from his friends. He quickly walked over to them and knelt down to their level, in front of Oliver. If his friends are going to wake up, then they might as well see a more comforting face. Although, he did dread the thought of them trying to rip him apart after what just happened on the surface.

"Guys?" Logan said, trying to wake them up. It proved to be working as his friends slowly regained consciousness.

"Uh…" Oliver groaned in pain, feeling like he just got hit by a battering ram. He slowly opened his eyes, followed by Zeke and Nikki, as they all saw Logan in his new form. Although, Logan _was_ standing very close to them, so all they could notice was the bug-eyed visor on his helmet.

"Huh?" They said in unison, equally confused at the site. There was an awkward silence for about a minute and a half before they realized someone was in front of them.

"AH, GET OFF ME!" Oliver shouted in panic as the three of them literally kicked Logan back, making him land on his backside.

"Ow!" Logan said before seeing his friends standing up, looking ready to attack again, "Whoa, whoa, guys! I-It's just me…"

They didn't seem to be listening as they each grabbed large stones big enough to cause damage to a man's skull, but small enough to grasp in their hands. They all shouted loudly as they charged at Logan, ready to pummel him with their stones. Logan then realized there was only one way to get them to stop, so in an instant, he pulled out the Ridewatch from his Ziku-Driver, undoing his transformation.

"IT'S ME!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, making his friends stop before they'd do something they would regret.

"Logan?" Oliver said as he, Zeke and Nikki dropped their stones to the ground.

"Yes!" Logan exclaimed - a bit T. about his friends trying to kill him there - before greeting them, "Hey, guys."

"Oh… sorry, man," Oliver apologized as he bent down and extended his hand out to Logan, offering him help up, "Thought you were a giant bug up close."

"Sorry about that, Oliver," Logan replied as he grabbed his friend's hand and standing back up. After that fiasco was over with, Oliver, Zeke and Nikki looked around the cavern they were in. As they did so, memories of what just happened earlier, from the monster showing up to Geiz chasing them into the mountain.

"Whoa, are we inside the mountain?" Zeke asked in awe of the sight.

"We sure are, Zeke," Logan replied with a nod, "Not the kind of camping trip you'd expect, huh?"

"Yeah, especially since you can _basically_ transform into a _FRICKIN SUPERHERO!"_ Nikki exclaimed at her friend in anger, making him lean back.

"Oh, yeah," Logan said with a sweatdrop, knowing this conversation would happen sooner or later, "I should probably explain that to you guys."

"Yes, please do!" Oliver said with little patience, knowing that an explanation would give them all some clarity and peace of mind.

"Alright, make sure you guys don't need the bathroom," Logan suggested, "It's a long story…"

Logan then began telling them all what happened after school yesterday. He told them about the Ridewatch always appearing close to him, and that Woz fellow telling him about doing something great on his way to Zeke and Nikki's place. Logan then told them about how Kamen Rider Geiz was trying to kill him on his way back home via giant robot before Tsukuyomi swooped in and rescued him. He explained why everyone was hunting him down either trying to kill him or make him become king. That last part was what confused them the most, seeing that the only people who knew of Logan's childhood dream of being a king were only them and a few people at school. Oliver, Zeke and Nikki got their answers, but it only led to more questions.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Oliver said with a pinch on the bridge of the nose, still baffled at what was happening, "You mean to tell us that this 'Nathaniel Gates' fellow wants to kill you because of your future self being a king - specifically a tyrant - in the future?"

"Yep," Logan nodded without denial.

"And this Tsukuyomi girl is trying to prevent you from being said tyrant but without killing you?" Zeke asked, curious about the mystery girl who saved them earlier, "And to prove she's from the future she takes you back in time to the late Cretaceous, then the Edo Period in Japan, and lastly about a year ago in Divinity City where you met two other superheroes called Kamen Riders?"

"That last part was really a predicament with Gates forcing us out of the time stream, but yeah," Logan clarified his answer.

"And this Woz dude tells you he's the prophet for you to be king, and explains that you are about to meet beings from another world?" Nikki asked with skepticism.

"Yes, and I know, it seems that last part seems far fetched," Logan said, knowing his friends would be filled with skepticism.

"And on top of that, the time you traveled to three different points in… well, time, it happened between you leaving our house and heading back to your house yesterday?" Zeke asked with a quirked brow, not understanding this whole time travel situation.

"Yes, though it felt more like hours, despite it happening in such a short amount of time yesterday," Logan admitted with a nod.

"Wow," Oliver said, shocked that his friend didn't tell them sooner, "And you didn't tell us why?"

"I thought it was a dream at first," Logan explained, innocently holding up his hands in defense, "Tsukuyomi knocked me out cold, so I didn't think any of it was real when I woke up at my place."

"Well, I guess that's understandable," Oliver nodded before looking stern, "But still, you should've told us about it. We're friends, we tell each other everything."

"Correction, almost everything," Logan retorted, "You still haven't told us what happened between you and your uncle Parker in Oahu, remember?"

Oliver stuttered; it was true. He never told him about what happened between him and his uncle in Hawaii, but it was enough for the two to not speak to each other for a long time. He regained his posture and glared at his best friend.

"Yeah, but that doesn't amount to _this,_ man!" Oliver stated, with the glares of Nikki and Zeke accompanying his own. Logan sighed as he looked down to the ground, feeling sorry for not telling his best and only friends.

"Look, I'm sorry," Logan looked back up at them apologetically, "I should've told you guys sooner, but I didn't want you guys worrying about it, especially since we were living the dream of coming up here after an entire summer vacation."

"Alright, you got us there, my man," Nikki admitted, "But still, worrying about you and each other is our job. And we know certain things are off-limits, but when it comes to stuff that involves one of us nearly getting killed, we need each other for support."

"You're right, Nikki," Logan said with a smile "Next time a life-threatening, life-changing event happens to me, I let you guys in."

With that remark, everyone burst into laughter. After about thirty seconds of laughing, everyone calmed down and regained their posture.

"Ah, okay…" Oliver said, "Enough jokes, let's find ourselves a way out."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Oliver as they all spread out to look for a way out of his cavern. What they didn't notice yet, however, was the light shining from one side of the cavern, coming from a small crack in the wall.

* * *

 _ **THE MOUNTAIN'S SURFACE; MAXIMAL BASE; 12:20 P.M.**_

* * *

At the Axelon, the Maximals were continuing doing their part in fixing the ship. However, Optimus eventually ceased what he was doing and looked out in the direction Cheetor ran in.

"Cheetor's been gone for a long time," He said in worry, "Surely he should've been back by now."

"Eh, give the kid his moment, Boss Monkey," Rattrap said in confidence, "I'm sure he's just sightseeing."

"Maybe, but with the Predacons out there somewhere, he should at least try to report in," Optimus said with a sigh, "Especially since the Axalon's global positioning system and communications are down."

"Communications, yes, the global positioning system on the other hand…" Rhinox corrected his commander as he pressed a few buttons on his console, "It wasn't easy, but I managed to send out a few probes to scan the area and detect anything in the sector. So far, it's only detecting nothing but natural terrain, animals, and flora. If something were to step into the vicinity, the scanners will pick it up."

"Well, that some good news," Optimus said, a bit relieved to know they had some GPS working.

"Yeah, 'cuz it's gonna take a miracle to fix this ship and get out of here," Rattrap stated before beeping went off on Rhinox's console.

"Wait a cycle," Rhinox said before opening a file on the console, "The probes detected something!"

"What is it, Rhinox?!" Optimus said, wanting to make sure they had an understanding of what entered the vicinity.

"Let's see…" Rhinox said as he activated a screen showing a frequency pattern, "Whatever it is, it's giving off a unique and stable energon frequency."

"Stable?" Rattrap said in confusion, knowing that energon could not stabilize naturally, "What kind of energon stabilizes naturally on a planet like 'dis?"

"Not naturally, Rattrap," Optimus explained, "Whatever it is, it must've been placed there."

Optimus then looked at the readings the object was emitting. The frequency pattern looked familiar to him. That's when it dawned on him.

"Rhinox, cross-reference the frequency with that of the Key," Optimus ordered.

"Alright," Rhinox brought up the Key's frequency and compared it with that of the pulse they received. It was a one hundred percent match. The sight of this shocked the crew.

"I knew it…" Optimus said before he and his fellow Maximals began looking out towards the neighboring mountain.

"This would mean that the Key is inside the neighboring mountain," Rhinox stated.

"And that's where Cheetor went," Optimus said before ordering his crew, "Maximals, prepare for departure and retrieval!"

"What?!" Rattrap said in shock, "Are you nuts, you big ape?! If we leave the ship, the Preds could attack!"

"And if we don't leave now, Rattrap, they'll get the Key and be unstoppable!" Optimus retorted before repeating his order, "We move now!"

With that notion, Optimus and Rhinox left their positions and began walking up towards the mountain Cheetor ran off to. Rattrap was reluctant, of course, but - not wanting to be left behind to be an easy target for the Predacons - he eventually followed the commander and scientist.

"Eh, we're all gonna die…" Rattrap grumbled, awaiting death on the mountain.

* * *

 _ **BACK AT THE FORMER CAMPSITE; 12:25 P.M.**_

* * *

"Dammit!" Gates exclaimed in anger as he slammed his fist into a tree. He was clearly pissed about losing the chance of killing Logan and ending Oma Zi-O's reign in 2068. Nathan was _this_ close to changing the future for the better, and Tsukuyomi had to get in the way of that.

"Gates, calm down!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed as she placed a hand on his shoulder, but he just pushed her off as he faced her with anger.

"What the hell, Tsukuyomi?!" Nathan exclaimed, "We're trying to prevent him from becoming Oma Zi-O, and you're helping him?! WHY!?"

"I don't know!" Tsukuyomi said in defense, not really knowing why she helped out Logan and his friends, "I just felt like I had to!"

That remark made Nathan groan in agitation. He then faced her again with a stern face.

"Well, I don't care what it takes," Nathan proclaimed, "Zi-O has to die, with or without your help!"

With that last sentence, Nathan and Tsukuyomi left the campsite, hoping to find Logan and his friends. But what they didn't notice was a young boy in blue approaching the Kaijin Rider, who was now in his human form. He knelt down and sighed in disappointment.

"Oh, it looks like Zi-O ruined my fun," He said with a frown before literally reaching his arm into the chest of the young man and grabbing out the Ridewatch within him.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better soon," He said as he pressed the button on the Ridewatch.

 _ **Build!**_

The young boy then placed the Ridewatch back into the man, making him wake up and stand up in an instant. The man then transformed back into the monster he was before, feeling angrier and stronger than before.

"There we go," The young boy smiled as he petted the monster's head as a man with a dog, "Now be a good demon king and destroy Zi-O."

The monster nodded with a growl before walking off, looking for more victims.

* * *

 _ **DIVINITY CITY, CALIFORNIA; RURAL DISTRICT; 12:30 P.M.**_

* * *

At Logan's place, his great uncle Robert was fixing up an old radio for the woman who brought it in yesterday. He had it opened up to see what the problem was and had a magnifying glass to get a better view of the inside. That was before someone opened the door and came in.

"Uncle Robert, I'm home!" The familiar voice of his great-niece Rose called out as she closed the door.

"Oh, you're home early, Sweetheart," Robert said in surprise.

"Had a short schedule, so I came back home once I was finished," Rose said as she placed her handbag on a chair before asking about her brother and his friends, "You hear from Logan and his friends?"

"No, but Ezekiel and Nicole's father has," Robert said as he carefully removed a small gear from the radio, "He just contacted them almost an hour ago, and they've already set up camp."

"That team of nuts," Rose said with a roll of the eyes before making a concerned face, one that her great uncle noticed right away.

"Are you alright, Rose?" He asked in concern, dropping what he was currently doing.

"I'm fine, I just…" Rose replied before sighing, "I just can't help but wonder how my baby brother and his friends are doing."

"Rose, they're going to be fine," Robert reassured her, "Logan and his friends might be young, but they're strong. If not in body, then in spirit. They'll be fine."

"…" Rose muttered before smiling a bit, "Yeah, I guess you're right, Uncle Robert."

Robert nodded with a smile of his own before getting back to what he was doing. Rose then went to the couch and began watching something on the television.

* * *

 _ **BACK UNDERGROUND IN THE MOUNTAIN; 12:53 P.M.**_

* * *

"AH, WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET OUTTA HERE!" Zeke screamed in panic. It had already been almost an hour since they got trapped, and he was already panicking. Oliver had just about enough of it, so he grabbed Zeke by the shoulders and shook him like a madman.

"Calm down, Zeke!" Oliver shouted, wanting his friend to stop the panicking already.

"How can I calm down, Oliver?!" Zeke said hysterically, "We're stuck inside a mountain with some whacko searching outside wanting to kill us! That's not exactly a calming situation!"

"Maybe if you actually helped us search for a way out instead of just standing there panicking, we'd be home free by now," Nikki said in irritation, "Now get to searching!"

"Jeez…" Zeke said, felt like he just got told to shut up in a more aggressive manner.

"Everyone, knock it off," Logan said to them, knowing that neither arguing nor panicking would get them out of here, "No one wanted this to happen but we're here now; we might as well make the most of it by being more productive than conflictive. Understand?"

"Yes…" His friends said with their heads drooping down towards the ground.

"Good," Logan said as he continued to find a path in these walls, "Now let's find our way out."

The friends themselves have also resumed their search for an exit. Oliver looked for a way to see if they can climb out before something shimmered out of the corner of his eye. Oliver saw that it was a hole in the wall with light seeping through.

"Huh?" He said before approaching it and looking into it, seeing what appeared to be a lit-up cavern, "I think I got something."

Those words made Logan, Zeke and Nikki look at him for a second before approaching him.

"What is it, my man?" Logan asked in curiosity before seeing the light.

"I see light in another cavern," Oliver explained, "It must be an old mining tunnel."

"Why would there be a mining tunnel down here?" Zeke asked in curiosity.

"Dude, it's the golden state for a reason," Oliver said bluntly, "They must've found a gold deposit down here in the mountain."

"Well, I don't care what it is as long as it gets us home," Nikki before grabbing her backpack and pulled out a sledgehammer, "Use this, Logan."

She was then met with eyes of disturbed people, who looked at her and the sledgehammer in disbelief.

"What?" She asked like there was nothing wrong.

"Why do you keep a…" Logan asked before changing his mind, not wanting to hear the answer, "You know what, nevermind."

Logan then took the sledgehammer from his friend and stood in front of the entrance, with Oliver moving out of the way.

"Alright, stand back," Logan said, and his friends acknowledged him. Logan brought the hammer up before swinging it down and onto the crack, making it expand and show more light. He did this a few more times before feeling that there was only one more hit to do.

"Okay…" Logan panted, getting tired of the swings as sweat dripped from his forehead, "One more… should do the trick…"

With one last swing, the hammer hit the crack, and the wall crumbled to the ground, revealing their exit.

"Got it!" Logan exclaimed in thrill as his friends cheered in excitement. That all went away, however, as they soon found out that it wasn't a way out. They noticed it was some kind of ancient tomb with carvings on the wall and three statues surrounding the center. In the center was a stone sarcophagus resembling a woman with an eye emblem on it, and above it was a hole to the surface, high above the ground with the sunlight hitting the sarcophagus.

"What the?" Logan said in disbelief as they entered the tomb.

"This definitely isn't the way out," Nikki said as they looked at the details of the tomb.

"Not unless you count that up there, Sis," Zeke said as he pointed at the light source from the ceiling, seeing how high it was.

"No way we can make it up there," Oliver said, "We weren't planning on mountain climbing, and we don't have a rope long enough."

As they conversed, Logan observed the tomb, trying to make out how old it was. He admired the architecture and the possible stories that were carved into the walls of the tomb. A million thoughts about the tombs began running through Logan's head.

"It looks like some kind of ancient shrine or tomb," Logan said, catching the attention of his friends, "Native American, according to the pictographs. And judging by the brittleness and rock formations, this place must've been built about two centuries before the European settlers arrived."

"Your ability to tell how old something is by looking at it never ceases to amaze me, Logan," Oliver shook his head in surprise, wondering how his friend could be thinking like that in a time like this.

"Thank you," Logan replied before staring at the statues in curiosity, "But I don't know any culture having perfectly carved statues such as these, or a hand-carved tomb like this. Nor one just as bright."

A beep then went off, and Nikki felt a vibration in her back pocket. Everyone looked at her as she grabbed a walkie talkie from her pocket

"Looks like I just my signal back," She said before noticing her friends' jaws dropped to the ground, "What?"

"You didn't think of calling for help before?!" Everyone shouted at her in anger.

"What makes you think I haven't?" Nikki asked rhetorically, "I had no reception in the cavern and we all left our phones in the Crawler, remember?"

Everyone sighed in annoyance, seeing as they just remembered that their phones were still at the campsite.

"Oh, that's just great," Zeke said in sarcasm.

"I'll see if I can radio for help," Nikki said as she began fiddling with the walkie talkie, trying to get a signal. As she did so, Logan continued to admire the tomb.

'Awesome…' He said in awe as he approached the sarcophagus and examined it, 'Such architecture and history… I wonder how long it took them to build this place.'

Logan then heard something making a high-pitched 'sheen' sound. He then noticed his pocket lighting up before reaching into it and grabbing his Zi-O Ridewatch.

"Hm?" He quirked a brow as he noticed that the Zi-O Ridewatch was lighting up around the sarcophagus. He looked at it and then the Ridewatch; he moved it away from the stone, and it appeared to get dimmer, but as it got closer, it lit up like a Christmas tree.

'What does this mean?' Logan thought in confusion, 'It's responding to the watch?'

Logan then saw the eye symbol on the center of the female statue's chest lit up before rising out from the stone. The eye opened up and revealed a circular slot designed to fit something. Logan was confused about this at first before noticing that the Ridewatch was about the right size and shape for the slot. He then did something even he didn't expect to do: Logan placed the Ridewatch on the slot and pressed down on it. Once he did that, the cavern started shaking. This caught the attention of Logan's friends as they stared at him, and he stared back at them as the eyes of the sarcophagus began to light up. The opening from above then began to seal off slowly.

"HUH?!" They all shouted in shock at what Logan was doing.

"Hehe…" Logan smiled nervously before turning back the stone and tried to remove his Ridewatch, but it wouldn't even budge.

"What did you do?!" Nikki asked in shock.

"I didn't do anything, I just pressed my hand and watch on the stone!" Logan said defensively.

"Dude, don't you watch Indiana Jones?!" Zeke asked hysterically, "Ancient tombs like these are always filled and rigged with traps!"

"And until now, I thought that was just in the movies!" Oliver added on as the tomb was getting darker and darker, with the shaking closing off the entrance to the lake.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Zeke shouted as the tomb finally went dark, practically blinding them. They all decided to duck, cover their heads and close their eyes, praying for the shaking to stop. The shaking _did_ stop - thankfully - as soon as their potential way out was sealed off. They all reopened their eyes, but the darkness prevented them from seeing anything as they stood up. Just as they were about to call out to one another, something made a beating sound.

"Hm…?" Logan said in response to the sound, "You guys hear that?"

"Sure did, Logan," Oliver replied before another beat occurred.

"There it is again!" Logan exclaimed as another beat happened, followed by another and another. At the same time, the carvings, cracks, and statues glowed blue for briefly for each beat.

"What is it?" Nikki asked, wondered by the sight and sound.

"It sounds like…" Logan stuck his ear out and listened carefully enough to recognize the pattern of the beating, "A heartbeat…?"

"Guys, look at the rock!" Zeke said with a point, thankfully seen due to the glowing beats. His friends looked at the rock and saw that it was glowing the brightest with every beat. As for Logan's Ridewatch on top of it, it glowed magenta with every beat. Clearly, the Ridewatch had some kind of connection with the stone.

"Call me crazy, guys, but I think there's something in there…" Oliver said in surprise, "Or someone…"

Just then, the stone layer of the object slowly cracked and broke off. The "sarcophagus" revealed itself to be something not of this world. It appeared to be some kind of pod as made with a metal of unknown origin.

"That's definitely no rock," Logan said.

"It looks like an escape pod, you know, like from _Star Wars,"_ Zeke added.

"You're really in the George Lucas mood today, Zeke," Nikki said before the pod's beating suddenly stopped, "What's it doing now?"

The room suddenly dimmed down the glowing as the opening above opened itself again, relighting the room. The pod then released steam from the sides, startling the kids before the pod suddenly spoke up in a male robotic voice.

 _ **"ACTIVATING RESUSCITATION; RESUSCITATION WILL COMPLETE IN ONE KLIK,"**_ The pod said, confusing the kids. Suddenly, the pod lit up with a line passing through the middle across the long side. The lid of the pod then split in half and folded up and out. The friends were curious to see what was inside, but were hesitant to do so. Eventually, curiosity got the better of them the four teens approached the pod. Steam emitted from the pod, but as it clear, the friends could see a figure inside: a human girl around with hair being three colors - with the majority of it being snow white with pink and black streaks going down the middle of it - and white skin, covered by only what appeared to be a thin silver cloth as a blanket. Her figure was so slim and yet it looked like she was physically fit. Logan couldn't help but find her attractive as he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Wha-?!" Logan stuttered at the mysterious sight, "A girl?!"

"What's a girl doing in a cave like this?" Oliver asked in confusion, "Especially at her age."

No one was able to answer that question, though it was on everybody's minds. Who is this girl? Why is she even here? But more questions would have to wait until later. Logan knelt down in front of the pod to get back his Ridewatch. He managed to detach it from the pod and look at it for a second, wondering why it interacted with this kind of technology. He then shook off the question before standing up and looking down at the girl. Logan blushed again at the sight of her, thinking only an angel could be this beautiful, but that thought went away quickly as the thought of 'Why was she in there in the first place?'. His curiosity would have to wait, however, seeing it looked like she needed help. He placed the Ridewatch in his pocket before carefully picking her up bridal style, making her head lean back. He turned around to face his friends, who all noticed the blush on his cheeks. They smiled deviously, thinking they should screw with him for a bit.

"Ooh, you like her, Logan?" Oliver said slyly, making Logan' blush increase

"Uh-?!" Logan stuttered as he said, "S-S-Shut up, Oliver!"

'Yeah, he likes her…' Oliver thought as he, Zeke and Nikki started laughing at him. Logan frowned at them, looking ticked off before the pod began making noise. He turned back to face the pod, and they all saw it lighting up before speaking up.

 _ **"CYBERTRONIAN CALENDAR, 2785,"**_ The pod said, _**"CHILD OF THE ORACLE HAS AWAKENED."**_

"Cybertronian?" Logan said, thinking that the first word was familiar, "Oracle?"

"What is this, another time travel doohickey?!" Zeke asked, thinking he couldn't handle another time traveler today, "And if so, is this girl from the future, too?!"

Just then the pod started making a whirring sound. The sound got louder and louder by the minute, making the boys freak out a bit. They knew they weren't going to like what was coming.

"Uh-oh…" They all said before the mystery girl's eyes shot wide open, engulfing the cave in light and creating a shockwave from the pod, sending the friends flying. Oliver and Zeke were sent a short distance away, but were both knocked unconscious again by the fall to the ground. Nikki was knocked right into the wall, where the trauma made her fall unconscious. Logan was knocked to the back of the room, making him lose grip of the mystery girl, and have her fall to the ground as he hit the wall hard, knocking him out once again.

* * *

 _ **IN ANOTHER PART OF THE MOUNTAIN; 1:01 P.M.**_

* * *

Cheetor was up on the surface of the same mountain, looking for any opening that could lead him to the Key. He wasted no time racing his way there from the other mountain, though it wasn't easy despite his speed, due to the obstacles he ran into along the way. First, he had to cross through a thick ingrown forest that made it difficult to maneuver. He even ran into a few bushes by accident. Then, he had to climb a road leading up the mountain, one that didn't seem to be used for a long time due to the lack of tire tracks. That would've been easy for him if it weren't an avalanche zone, a fact the young Maximal found out the hard way. He was walking up the road when another tremor occurred, causing an avalanche of rocks both large and small. Cheetor had to speed right past this area quickly to avoid getting crushed. He got hit by a few rocks, but it wasn't anything to cause permanent damage. Finally, Cheetor came face to face with a very large gap. The young Maximal was confident he could make the jump at full speed. He made it thankfully, but it was barely when he made it to the other side, he had to grab onto the ledge with his front paws to keep from falling before climbing back up. So, yeah, he's been having a day that's rougher than it should have been. However, Cheetor wouldn't let some obstacles get in his way; he had to find the Key and get it back to the Maximals fast before the Predacons can get the cold metal hands on it, wherever they are.

Cheetor came across a clearing on the side of the mountain, hoping to find any kind of entrance that could get him inside. Alas, there was no such entrance, which means he had more searching to do and - most likely - not a lot of time left to do so.

"Ah, scrap, how much further?" Cheetor sighed with his head pointed down before another tremor started up, "Huh?!"

Cheetor got into a running stance, prepared to get out of there if another avalanche occurs. However, there was something about this quake that seemed odd compared to the previous ones. Those ones were a bit rougher and everywhere in the surrounding area. This one, on the other hand, seemed more gentle and concentrated where the young Maximal was standing. Then, as if one cue, Cheetor heard something rumbling, as if something extremely heavy was being moved across the ground. He turned his head to find part of the mountain wall lowering, as if like a door. After the door lowered completely and all the dust cleared, Cheetor saw it revealed a large entrance into the mountain, big enough for an average Transformer to walk through. Cheetor stared in shock at the sudden phenomenon, for he had never seen such a feat.

"What the slag just happened?!" He exclaimed in shock before his scanners picked up something, "Huh?"

The young Maximal's scanners picked up the Key's frequency again, but this time it's stronger. This definitely proves that the Key is in the mountain, and even more imperative that Cheetor finds it fast.

"The Key's frequency is getting stronger!" He exclaimed as a smile formed on his face before looking around to see if anyone, be it human, Cybertronian or otherwise, was there. Thankfully, nobody was there, "Looks like I got here long before anyone else could. Which means I better find the Key before the Preds do!"

Cheetor then ran into the cave at full speed, not wanting to waste any more time than he already had. Little did he know he was being watched. If we rewind about twelve seconds and move out about eleven yards away from where Cheetor was, a certain giant wasp was exploring that side of the mountain. Waspinator had gotten himself lost ever since he and Terrorsaur split up to find the Key. He's been flying for so long, his wings felt like they were going to pop right off and let him plummet down to the ground at any second. But pretty soon, his luck would change for the better.

"Wazzpinator lozzzt!" The Predacon complained, wanting to quit there and now, "Wazzpinator knew not to split up for Key!"

Waspinator was about to leave before his scanners picked up the Key's signature. He turned back towards the mountain saw a clearing where the Key's frequency was emitting stronger than before.

"Hm?" Waspinator buzzed, noticing a large cat going into the mountain, most likely Cheetor, "Big cat going into mountain alone?"

Being the snoopy Predacon he was, Waspinator flew down to the clearing and saw the entrance into the mountain, and noticed how strong the Key's frequency was emitting. At that moment, the bug knew what was going on.

"Mmm, bet it izz Maximal searching for Key," He said before flying to the cliff above the entrance, with a devious plan in his mind, "Wazzpinator wait, ambush, and retrieve Key for Megatron…"

* * *

 _ **BACK UNDERGROUND IN THE MOUNTAIN; 1:19 P.M.**_

* * *

 _"Are you okay?"_

Logan groaned as he slowly regained his consciousness, and he could've sworn it was to someone asking him a question. It didn't sound like any of his friends, in fact, it sounded a bit softer. But he couldn't think about that right now, for when he woke, he felt a bit of pain all over his body, except for the head, which somehow felt like it was on something soft. To him, it felt almost as bad as him getting beaten up at school by Axel Walker and his goons. After regaining consciousness, he saw that his friends have also awakened again. Oliver was sitting on his knees with his right hand massaging his neck, while Nikki was grasping her right shoulder with her left arm and Zeke was massaging the left side of his face, feeling pain from his impact on the ground. It was obvious that they all had enough of this camping trip right about now.

"Ugh…" Zeke groaned as he stood up, still massaging his face, "It's official… I've had enough of being tossed around like a frackin' ragdoll!"

"Agreed…" Oliver said before looking at Logan, and at the sight of him, a shocked expression grew on his face, "Uh, Logan?"

"What now, Oliver?" Logan asked, not wanting it to be bad news.

"Look who's lap your in, man," Oliver said, confusing his best friend at first.

Logan didn't know what he meant before realizing something on what he was laying on - or rather, who he was laying on. His head felt like it was supported upwards by two objects, both of which felt much softer than the ground. In fact, they almost felt like human skin… that's when it dawned on him. Logan turned his head upwards to come face to face with a girl leaning down and looking at him, hands softly clenched together. That's when he realized he was in this girl's lap - and the thought of it made him blush like crazy.

"Wha-?!" Logan stuttered before quickly - in a state of panic - sat up and backed away from her, the blush still remaining on his face. His friends all couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of their friend's panic, much to his disliking. Logan glared at them in response before turning back towards the girl, noticing it was the same girl from earlier sitting on her knees, wearing the same silver cloth she had on as a makeshift dress, with her magenta-colored eyes opened and looking right at Logan.

"Mm?" The mystery girl mumbled as she looked at Logan, curious at the strange boy's sudden reaction. Logan managed to recollect his thoughts before thinking she must've regained consciousness after he and his friends lost theirs and placed Logan's head into her lap. As for why she did so, he had no clue given that she was just a complete stranger to him.

'The girl from the pod…?' Logan thought curiously before looking at her face and blushed some more, earning him more silent chuckles from his friends. He didn't pay attention to them as to how attractive this girl was. A beautiful face, long white hair with pink and black streaks, smooth skin, glimmering eyes, the works. However, due to this Logan could not take his eyes off her.

'My God, so beautiful…' He thought in admiration, finding the girl quite attractive, 'Never in my life have I seen such… WAIT A MINUTE!'

A mental record scratch went off in his head as he physically smacked the side of it, knowing he shouldn't be thinking such things. This new action got the girl curious, while his friends all groaned in both annoyance and humor, knowing where this was going. Logan was about to enter one of his rambling fits again. These rambling fits have been happening to him since elementary school, and he did them as a response to anything that usually stressed him out. Sometimes, these fits were humorous to his friends, but other times, it could be annoying. They rarely happen to him these days, but as the old saying goes, old habits die hard, and right now, Oliver, Zeke and Nikki had a feeling this one was going to top them all.

"You idiot!" Logan said, gripping his forehead with his right hand in self-loathing, "Why would you think something like that?! You were raised better than that! You shouldn't lose yourself like this!"

As he rambled, the mystery girl looked even more stumped than before, while Logan's friends couldn't help but smile in humor.

"Should we let him know he's rambling?" Nikki asked, forcing herself to hold back a laugh.

"Nah, let's give him a moment to realize it," Zeke replied, also trying to hold in his laughter as they watched their friend ramble about. Luckily, Logan managed to calm himself down a bit with a deep breath before thinking aloud.

"Okay, look, just pull yourself together, Logan, and get your friends and this girl to safety," Logan said more rationally, "And then…"

"Um, excuse me, are you alright?"

Logan's aloud thinking was then interrupted by a female voice, the same one from before he regained consciousness. He looked back at the mystery girl in curiosity, knowing that the voice was not Nikki's and that she was the only other girl here.

"Uh…" Logan stuttered before speaking up with a question, "Are you talking to me?"

"Uh-huh," The mysterious girl nodded in response

"Okay, then…" Logan said as he adjusted his sitting position to stand up, only to wince when he felt a stinging sensation in his right leg, "Argh!"

His sudden reaction to the pain surprised his friends, and made the mystery girl gasp in concern before asking, "Oh my, are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Logan replied, gripping his leg tightly in an effort to ease the pain, "I think I just bruised my leg."

"Don't worry, Logan, we got you," Oliver said as he, Zeke and Nikki walked over to him and the two boys gave him his hands to lift him up. He grabbed their hands and braced himself to stand up as Oliver spoke, "Okay, one, two, three!"

On three, they pulled up Logan, helping him get back onto his feet without him having to worry about his leg. Although, it did hurt a bit when it placed his right leg on the ground, but the stinging went away as quickly as it occurred.

"You think you can still walk," Zeke asked as he and Oliver let go of Logan's hands

"Yeah, I think so," Logan replied with a nod before walking closer to the mystery girl. He was still blushing from how attractive she was, but now was not the time for admiration. Now was the time to help her and get out of this mountain.

"Are, uh…" Logan tried to ask if she was alright as seriously as possible, but it came out all jittery since looking at her with nothing but that silver cloth covering her body made him blush violently. He was able to keep his composure to ask, "Are you okay…?"

"Uh… yes," She said shyly, "Yes, I am."

"Let me help you up," Logan said, still blushing as he reached his hand out to her. She was hesitant to take hold of his hand, given that she did not know him. But for some reason, she felt a bit of comfort around him, as if she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"Oh… thank you…" She replied as she placed her hand in Logan's palm, and he gently grasped as he helped her up to her feet. Once that was done, Logan spoke up again.

"Okay… I guess it's time for introductions," He said as he introduced himself and his friends to the mystery girl, "My name's Logan, Logan Briggs. And these are my friends, Oliver Shepard, and Zeke and Nikki Bishop."

"…Nice to meet you," She said with a slight wave of her hand.

"Same here," Oliver replied with a smile and a wave.

"Ditto," The twins said in sync.

"What's your name?" Logan asked the girl.

"My name is Aelita," She replied with the same shy tone, "Thank you for asking… Logan… Oliver… Zeke… Nikki…"

"Okay, Aelita… what were you doing in there?" Zeke asked, referring to the pod she was in.

"In where?" Aelita asked in curiosity, clearly not knowing what Zeke meant.

"You know, in that thing," Zeke replied, motioning his head to the pod, but that only confused Aelita even more.

"What thing?" She asked with a quirked brow in a confused tone.

'Seriously?' Zeke thought with a look of shock. She _had_ to know what he was talking about, right? There was no way she didn't know what he meant. But to be safe, he pointed at the pod behind, making her look in that direction.

"That thing?" She asked, curious as to what the pod was for.

"Yeah, we found you sleeping inside it," Zeke said bluntly, "What was that about?"

"I, uh…" Aelita stuttering before answering with a stutter, "I-I-I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Zeke asked, confused by her answer, but wanted answers now, "What do you mean you don't know?!"

The sudden exclamation made Aelita back up a bit in fright, not liking the boy's tone of voice. Zeke's action made the others glare at him before his sister pulled him back to scold him.

"Zeke, speak in a softer tone! She clearly doesn't seem to know what you're talking about and you're scaring her!" Nikki said, smacking her brother's back head, "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend"

"I'm sorry, I just want answers and-" Zeke explained himself before realizing she pulled up a sad but true fact about him, "HEY!"

As the twins argued, Aelita contemplated the question and felt stressed out, like she needed to answer that question as soon as possible. She began to shake in fright, scared by the fact if she didn't give an answer, something bad will happen. Logan and the others noticed this and the twins stopped arguing, worried where this was going.

"Oh, no…" Logan said in worry.

"I mean I don't know!" Aelita shouted in dismay - with yet another surprise for Logan and the others as here eyes glowed again with a magenta light - making the cave shake a bit and knock a few rocks to the cave's floor as she held her head. The group of friends did not like where this was going as tears flooded out of Aelita's eyes in a state of crying, "I don't know anything! I can't remember anything but my name! Why can't I-!"

"Aelita!" Logan exclaimed, catching Aelita's attention as he approached her and grasped her hands firmly yet gently together, attempting to calm her down, "It's okay…"

As soon as Logan grasped her hands, she felt that same feeling of comfort again. The tears stopped flowing as her glowing eyes went back to normal, causing the shaking to cease. This relieved the group of friends, but it surprised them very much given that she was the cause of it. Logan becoming a Rider was one thing, but a girl that could literally bring down a house by getting upset like that is definitely another. They approached Aelita in concern, but at the same time, kept their distance - in fear she might get upset if they crowded her. Besides, it seems that she seemed more comfortable around Logan, since he managed to calm her down a bit.

"You're with friends now, Aelita," Logan said in reassurance.

"R-r-r… really…?" Aelita inquired softly.

"Yeah," Logan replied with a smile, making her smile in joy and hug him, catching Logan off guard and making him blush, given that there was literally only a thin cloth between them. Logan returned the hug before looking at his friends, who all gave him winks and smiles that told him "Nice…". That gesture made him glare at them in both annoyance and embarrassment. Realizing what she was doing, Aelita's eyes shot wide open in shock before ending the hug and back away from Logan, her face blushed in embarrassment.

"S-s-sorry…!" She exclaimed in distress, not knowing why she hugged him so suddenly.

"I-i-it's… it's okay…" Logan said in reassurance, still blushing before regaining his composure, "…Now, come on... let's get out of here; maybe a little walk around outside will refresh your memory."

"You think so?" Aelita inquired shyly.

"Won't know until we try," Logan smiled, which made her smile.

"Uh, Logan, not to interrupt, but… uh…" Zeke spoke up before gesturing to all around the chamber, "How exactly are we gonna get out of here?"

Logan hated to admit it, but Zeke made a good point. The room was completely sealed off except for the entrance they made to get in there, which led to the cavern that only had one way into it. To put it bluntly, they were all trapped… but not for long…

The chamber began shaking, but it wasn't as strong as the earthquakes that have been occurring lately - that didn't make the group of friends feel any better given they jumped a bit from it. After calming bit - _just a bit_ since they weren't taking any chances when any more tremors occurred - they eventually heard something going along with the tremor, like rock moving on rock. The sound seemed to be coming from behind them, from the front of the chamber. The Logan, his friends and Aelita turned their heads back to see what it was, and to their surprise, a large segment of the wall was lowering into the ground. Once it was in the ground, it revealed a dark tunnel with a very small view of light far at the other end of it. It appears this was their ticket out of the mountain.

"I suppose we'll take the front door," Logan said before they all started walking towards the tunnel. They would've entered, but something stopped them in their tracks… something that was… growling…

"You guys heard that, too, right?" Nikki asked, hoping she was imagining things. She had enough bad things happen to her and the others for today.

"Sure did," Oliver nodded regrettably before noticing a pair glowing orange eyes with feline pupils staring at them, "E-e-eyes?"

"Oh… is that all?" Zeke gulped as group stepped back from the potential predator, "You think a mountain lion found its way in here?"

The answer to Zeke's question would be a "no " given that the beast revealed itself from the shadows and show it's true colors… or in this case, spots.

"Worse," Oliver said in panic as they backed away from the beast, "Cheetah!"

"Everyone, stay close!" Logan exclaimed, and everyone obeyed the directions as they were practically back to back. They braced themselves for the worst as the cheetah got into a pouncing position. Aelita hid behind in fright a first, but when she got a good look at the cheetah, she felt something. Just by looking into its eyes, she felt as if she knew this animal was posing no threat, but rather was looking for something. For what, however, she did not know, but that did not stop her from walking past her new friends towards the feline, shocking them.

"A-Aelita, what are you doing?!" Logan exclaimed, worried for his new friend's safety, "It's not a good idea to get near a dangerous animal!"

"It's alright," Aelita said to them in reassurance, "He's friendly."

Her statement shocked the group of friends even more.

"How would you know that?!" Oliver asked in disbelief.

"I don't know…" Aelita said before taking a deep breath and saying, "I just do…"

The friends panicked as they watched Aelita approached the cheetah, thinking this might not end well for her. Logan prayed as he saw Aelita reach her hand out to the cheetah. The friends couldn't watch as the cheetah growled at Aelita, thinking this was the end for both her and them.

Suddenly, the friends heard the growls turn into purrs. They all opened their eyes and saw that Aelita was petting and scratching the cheetah on its head behind the ears, making it purr in relaxation from the sensation as it got into a sitting position. Logan and the others were surprised at the sight of Aelita calming down the wild animal. At that moment, the four friends were feeling the same thing: impressed.

"Whoa…" Zeke said in awe before whispering in Oliver's ear, "You think she's some kind of animal expert, dude?"

"It's possible, Zeke…" Oliver whispered back.

After about a minute of petting the cheetah, Aelita turned back towards the group and spoke to Logan.

"Hey, you can pet him, too, if you want, Logan," She offered the newly-made Rider. Logan was hesitant to do so, fearing that if he made too sudden of a move, the Cheetah would react violently.

"Um…" Logan gulped before taking a deep breath and deciding to try it anyway, "Here goes nothing."

Logan approached the feline to pet it. A part of him feared the large cat would growl as he got closer, but instead it just stared at him with a tilted head, as if confused. That didn't make his friends feel any better as Zeke was biting his fingernails, Nikki covered eyes with her hands with her fingers crossed, and Oliver stepped back a bit. Logan reached out his hand to pet the cheetah, but stopped halfway, not sure if he should proceed. Just then, Aelita gently grasped his wrist with her hand and slowly guided towards the cheetah's head. Logan blushed at her gentle touch, but shook off his emmbrassment as he now placed his hand on the cheetah's head and started petting him slowly and gently. The petting made the cheetah purr in delight as Aelita removed her hand from Logan's wrist, thinking everything will be okay. The friends stared at Logan and the cheetah in shock. There was no way a cheetah could be this tameable.

"Haha…" Logan softly chuckled, thinking the cheetah meant no harm as his nervousness went away, "H-Here I am acting afraid while you mean no threat."

"I guess he's friendly…?" Zeke inquired, curious about this cheetah's strange behavior.

"I guess so, Zeke," Logan said with a smirk as he removed his hand from the cheetah's head.

"Hey, don't stop, It got another spot I can't reach," A voice spoke up startling the group of friends.

"Hm?" Nikki mumbled as they looked around the chamber to see who spoke up.

"What the hell…?" Logan said in shock, "Who said that just now?"

"Down here!" The same voice spoke up again. They heard it from towards the tunnel, but they couldn't see anyone due to it being dark. Luckily, Oliver had a flashlight to see there, but freaky part is that there was no one in there to make a sound…

That's when it dawned on them as they looked down at the cheetah. The group of friends looked back at each other in confusion, thinking there was no way a cheetah could speak up as they looked back at it. That would be crazy…

"Mrrow! Hey! My name's Cheetor - what's shakin'?" The cheetah suddenly spoke.

The talking cat proved them all wrong…

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Logan screamed as he jumped back, startled and freaked out by the cat's sudden speech. Everyone but Aelita backed up a bit, confusing Cheetor a bit.

"What, is it my breath?" Cheetor asked with a raised brow.

"No, it's definitely not your breath…" Zeke said as he backed up into a pillar.

"HOW CAN YOU SPEAK!?" Oliver shouted in a tone of both astoundment and fright, "CHEETAHS DON'T SPEAK, THEY ONLY, PURR, GROWL, OR ROAR!"

"Logan, everyone, calm down," Aelita said, trying to get everyone to relax at the situation, "There's no need to panic; he's a friend."

"Yeah, and how would you know that?!" Nikki exclaimed, clearly skeptical about a cheetah can talk, "We all _just_ met him!"

"I know, I know," Aelita said, "But I have a feeling like I know who and what he is."

Just then, Cheetor stood back up on all-fours and approached Logan slowly and cautiously, trying not to scare them any more than he has. Logan was still a bit freaked out by Cheetor's speech, but he calmed down a bit at the sight of the Cheetor being cautious towards him and the others. Cheetor sat down in front of Logan and looked up at him, wanting to start a conversation… one that didn't involve scaring off humans.

"Sorry for the startle," Cheetor apologized, "I guess it's not everyday humans get to meet talking animals, huh?"

"No…" Logan said with a deep breath, "No, it isn't…"

Seeing how "Cheetor" just wanted to talk, Logan's friends approached Cheetor. Although, they were still shocked by the development of a cheetah speaking out of the blue. Nevertheless, they all seemed to have calmed down.

"So who are you guys?" Cheetor asked, "Best to know the names of the humans meet for the first time."

"Understandable," Logan nodded in agreement as he introduced himself and his friends, "I'm Logan, and these are Oliver, Nikki, Zeke, and Aelita."

"Nice to meet ya!" Cheetor said with a smile on his face before wanting to ask them if they've seen the Key, "But, uh… I don't suppose you've seen anything odd around here?"

"Not unless you count psychotic monsters attacking us out of nowhere," Zeke said bluntly before getting elbowed by his sister.

"What?" Cheetor said with quirked brow in confusion.

"N-nevermind him, Cheetor, he's just nuts sometimes," Oliver said, earning a glare from his friend, "Anyway, would you happen to know the way out?"

"Sure do," Cheetor nodded as he stood back up again and turned towards the tunnel, "Follow me!"

Cheetor started walking out of the mountain through the tunnel, though he was a bit disappointed he didn't find the Key. But he did make some friends with some of the humans, so maybe they could help him once they were out. The others were about to follow him but were stopped by Zeke, being a bit paranoid.

"You really think we can trust him," He asked bluntly.

"Well, if he wanted to rip us to shreds, I'm pretty sure he would've done so by now, Zeke," Logan answered before following Cheetor out, followed by Oliver, Nikki and Aelita, with Zeke hanging behind to think about that answer.

"Alright, touche," Zeke admitted before following his friends out.

Little did they know a certain bug was waiting for them.

Outside the mountain, Waspinator was waiting above the entrance into the mountain for Cheetor to emerge with the Key. However, it proved to be a long wait given the Maximal had been in the mountain for over a half-hour. As he hung on the wall he buzzed in both excessive boredom and annoyance.

"Mmm, Wazzpinator not like waiting," He groaned in irritation, "How much longer until Cat-Bot come out with Key?"

"Finally!" An unknown voice spoke up from the tunnel.

"Ooh?" Waspinator gasped before climbing up the wall backwards to avoid getting spotted, thinking it might've been Cheetor. He waited a little while longer before the very Maximal emerged from the mountain entrance, and he was not alone. Alongside him were a group of humans - Logan and his friends - he clearly did not recognize.

"We're out of there!" Cheetor said, with the others having looks excitement on their faces. They were all clearly ecstatic to get out of that mountain and back out into the open. Logan inhaled some of the fresh air through his nose before exhaling in relief. Sweet freedom awaited him and the others… assuming Geiz wasn't going to try and kill him again.

"Ah, it's good to get out of there," Zeke said in relief, "I was starting to get a bit claustrophobic in there."

"In a giant room inside a mountain, Zeke?" Nikki asked skeptically.

"What can I say?" Zeke inquired, "Even a guy like me needs open spaces."

"Looks like we're on the other side of the mountain," Logan said as he observed the area, "Luckily, the GPS showed a path nearby leading from here to our campsite."

"You guys were camping?" Cheetor asked, curious as to why these kids were camping on the mountain.

"Yeah, had to get away from all the people," Nikki explained rather bluntly.

"Nikki, we live in the city's _rural_ district," Oliver reminded her, "Not a lot of people live there."

"I stand by my statement," Nikki replied, with Oliver rolling his eyes in response. They were all about to head down a path down the mountain that led to the other mountain, with the only thing between them was a deep sloped ditch. Luckily, they didn't have to go that far, halfway to get to the path leading back up to the other side of the mountain and up to the campsite. They all stopped in their tracks as they realized Aelita wasn't with them. They all turned around to see Aelita sitting down and looking down the cliffside. Fearing she was in a very dangerous position, Logan ran up to her and spoke up, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"What is it, Aelita?" Logan asked, hoping she answer why she was looking down the cliff very quickly.

"So this is the outside world?" She said in awe as she looked right at him, "It's amazing."

"Yeah, it would be more amazing if you weren't just looking down the cliff," Logan said. That confused Aelita before Logan pointed out away from the mountain. Aelita looked and gasped in awe as she saw the entire landscape of the area. Apparently, this her first time seeing the outside world and everything with it: trees, plants, animals, the works. Logan could see it in her eyes; they had a certain glimmer in them that said they had never seen anything like this before.

"Wow!" She exclaimed in wonder, "It's more amazing than I thought!"

"It sure is," Logan replied before putting his hand on her shoulder, "And there's a lot more to see. We'll show you some more on our way back to camp."

"And I'll escort you guys there," Cheetor said with enthusiasm, making the others stare at him in confusion.

"Do you think that's a good idea, Cheetor?" Oliver, asked, a bit worried about what a scene Cheetor will make if he's caught, "I mean, in my experience, people who see a cheetah on the loose is going to freak out beyond comprehension. Especially if they hear you talk."

Everyone had to agree with Oliver there; if people see a talking cheetah showing up out of the blue, there's sure to be panic as a result. So why would the young Maximal take that risk?

"Maybe, but I want to see what a human campsite looks like," Cheetor explained, determined to see where they were supposed to hang out for the weekend, "Where I'm from, we don't see a lot of humans."

"Seriously?" Zeke said with a quirked brow in confusion. He was a cheetah; surely he saw humans every now and then in the wild, especially since he's not even in a proper cheetah's habitat. Cheetor nodded in response with a smirk, really determined to go with them. The gang looked at each other, considering the option before all sighing in defeat.

"Alright, you can come along," Logan said with a nod, making the Maximal smile excitement, "But keep close."

"Gotcha," Cheetor said as they all headed down the mountain path closest to their camp. As they walked away Waspinator crawled down the mountain wall and watched them go, curious as to why a Maximal would team up with mere humans.

"Ooh, Cat-Bot make friends with humans, mmm?" The insect Predacon buzzed before asking himself, "But where izz Key?"

Waspinator made a point; if the Key _was_ in the mountain, why would the Maximal enter and emerge almost empty-handed? That's when his scanners picked something up again: the Key's frequency. The giant robot wasp tilted his head in confusion as it started pinpointing the source of the frequency… towards the others. Specifically, Aelita was emitting that frequency!

"Ooh, white-haired girl hazz frequency like that of Key!" Waspinator said, putting two- and two together, realizing the truth, "She izz Key!"

Waspinator then took to the skies again and took off after them. It wasn't long down the path Logan and the others were taking before they heard a loud, obnoxious buzzing sound. They all stopped in their tracks the moment they heard it.

"What the?" Cheetor said in confusion, wondering what was making that noise.

"Do you guys hear a… buzzing sound?" Zeke asked, hoping he wasn't going crazy from all that's been going on today.

"Sounds like a swarm of angry bees," Nikki said, looking around them to find

"No, it's more like just one bee, but louder," Logan corrected his friend, in which she rolled her eyes at him in response. Oliver then turned to look behind them and saw something in the distance heading their way. It looked like a little wasp at first, but after squinting at it and hearing the buzzing sound got louder, he realized it was a wasp heading right for them… unfortunately, it was not a small one…

"Guys, I think a wasp is making that sound," Oliver said, shaking a bit.

"What makes you say that?" Logan asked in confusion as he looked at his best friend.

"THAT!" Oliver shouted as he pointed in the direction behind them. Everyone looked and saw Waspinator flying towards them before stopping a few feet away from them in the air. Cheetor was surprised at the sight of the wasp, but his new friends had their jaws and eyes wide open in both shock and fear. Even Aelita felt a bit intimidated by the abnormally large bug.

 _'A GIANT WASP!?'_ The four friends mentally shouted in panic, knowing there was only one thing for them to do now…

"Everyone take cover, now!" Logan exclaimed, knowing a giant wasp would be a big threat as they all ran away from the Predacon, with Logan grasping Aelita's wrist. This action confused Cheetor as he watched them all run away.

"What's the problem?" Cheetor shouted out to them, "It's just a big bug."

"Hate to break it to you, but bugs don't grow that big," Oliver said, dropping some basic bug knowledge on the maximal as they hid behind some large rocks for cover, "Otherwise it'd be crushed under the weight of its own exoskeleton."

That fact confused Cheetor; if bugs like this couldn't exist on Earth, then how could this one do so?

"Well, if that's true, then that's no natural lifeform…" Cheetor said before his eyes widened in realization, "And if we're talking unnatural lifeforms, then we've gotta be talking about just one thing: robots in disguise!"

"WHAT!?" The friends shouted in both shock and confusion as Cheetor growled at the wasp and got into a battle-ready pose. HE was about to expose his secret as a Maximal to his new friends, but he didn't care much for the secret as much as he did their safety. At that moment he had no choice… but to transform and fight!

 _"Cheetor - **MAXIMIZE!"**_ Cheetor then jumped into the air with a backflip, and Logan and the others could see him shifting from beast to who knows what. The cheetah's chest launched into the air suddenly as the hind legs then extended backwards with the lower halves rotating halfway around and revealing metallic blue alloy, and the feet folding out the heels of the paws. The shoulders of the front legs then shifted, pointing backwards with a back panel folding out of his backside, with the tail folding in. the front legs then became metallic yellow and blue forearms as the cheetah head folded around pointing in the opposite direction and into the back. Once he landed, Logan could see he was a yellow robot with metallic blue shoulders, legs, arms and waist, a yellow head with a pointed crest pointing up in two directions and a blue cat-like face with yellow eyes and cheetah head as a chest plate. The cheetah's chest cavity from before then fell back down and into the right hand of Cheetor, revealing it to be a hi-tech blaster weapon. The sight of his transformation shocked the group of friends. Although, it would make sense that a talking cheetah would really be a robot in disguise… at least in science fiction stories until now.

"Holy mother…" Logan said, mouth practically dropping to the ground as Cheetor readied his blaster weapon.

"Time for this cat to pounce!" The young Maximal exclaimed before firing some energy shots at the Predacon. Waspinator dodged them all - barely - and realized that his "cover" had been blown. He had no other choice as of this moment.

"Ooh! Wazzpinator under attack!" Waspinator exclaimed as he prepared for battle himself, "Wazzpinator engage enemy!"

 _"Wazzpinator -_ **_TERRORIZZZE!"_** The giant wasp then ejected its stinger from its rear and launched it into the air as the three pairs of legs pulled out from its thorax. The middle and hind legs then folded back towards the abdomen as the front and bottom half of the insect detached from the top half and folded back, separating into bug-like legs and feet as the wasp limbs folded into the new limbs. The legs both rotated 180 degrees by the waist as the thorax limbs then folded out of the body and humanoid arms and hands appeared out of compartments. The wasp head then folded down into the main body, revealing a green human-wasp head with purple insect eyes and a toothed pincer mouth. The stinger then landed into the wasp-bot's hand, changing into a blaster weapon. This new transformation shocked the gang even further as the Predacon fired stinger missiles at Cheetor. Cheetor dodged them with his agility and speed, but one of them was heading right for the group. They all got out of the way as the missiles blew up the rocks. They knew they had to get out of there now; they were too exposed, making them easy targets for the Predacon bug.

Cheetor saw them and were glad they were okay, but shouted, "Logan! Aelita! All of you! Take cover!"

"You heard him, guys!" Oliver exclaimed in panic as he started running towards a large ditch in the ground, "Let's go!"

Zeke and Nikki immediately followed their friend, while Logan grasped Aelita's wrist and pulled her as he followed them, "Come on, Aelita!"

"But Cheetor…" Aelita said, worried for the young Maximal's life.

"He'll be fine, I hope!" Logan said in assurance as they continued running to the ditch, hoping it would be the perfect cover for them.

In the distance, Cheetor's fellow Maximals could see the firefight near them. Thinking it had to be Cheetor, Optimus and the others had to get to his location fast!

"Uh-oh…" Rattrap gulped, wanting to go home before getting grabbed by Optimus, hopping onto Rhinox's back, and speeding off to Cheetor.

"Move! MOVE!" Optimus ordered, with Rhinox going at top speed.

Back at the battle, Cheetor and Waspinator's fight had already reached the edge of the ditch. The ditch itself was a bit steep, but had large rocks to provide cover for Logan and the others. However, if this fight escalates into the ditch, it could mean more trouble. The group of friends hid behind a rock to avoid any potential fire heading their way and tried to come up with a plan.

"I don't know what's happening, dudes, but if we stay, we're dead meat!" Zeke exclaimed in panic, not knowing what to do in these kinds of situations.

"Uh, and how do you suggest we get out of here, Zeke?!" Nikki asked rhetorically, equally panicked, "If we get into that bug's line of sight, we'll all be target practice!"

"Uh…" Zeke said, trying to think of a way out of this, "I got nothing, what about you guys?"

"Oh, God, help us," Logan smacked himself in annoyance before hearing Waspinator's buzzing sound getting louder. They all looked up and saw the Predacon ready to fire at them.

"Get down!" Logan ordered as they ducked behind the rock as Cheetor got into the ditch and started firing some more shots at the Predacon. Meanwhile, the Maximals were almost to Cheetor's location. There was just this little problem with the giant boulder standing in their way.

"'Ey, heads up!" Rattrap yelled in panic, pointing out the obstacle, "ROADBLOCK!"

"Veer left!" Optimus ordered, "There's a clearing about a hundred meters!"

Rhinox ignored the order as he charged straight towards the boulder, Optimus and Rattrap brace themselves for impact, before Rhinox ran right through the boulder-like it was nothing, breaking it in half. It clearly didn't faze him; in fact, it didn't even slow him down one bit.

"Ah, yes," Optimus sighed, feeling stupid about forgetting what kind of beast form Rhinox made for himself, "Silly me."

Back at the ditch, Waspinator and Cheetor were still duking it out to survive. When he saw Logan and the others, he decided to give them a little bargain, one he thought they couldn't refuse.

"Mmm… childrennnn!" Waspinator buzzed, "Give Wazzpinator the Key now, and Wazzpinator will not hurt you!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Logan said, confused since he knew he and his friends didn't have any kind of keys with them, "We don't have any key you're looking for!"

"Wazzpinator talkinnng about herrr!" Waspinator pointed to Aelita, confusing the group of friends, "She'zz the Key Wazzpinator seekzz! Wazzpinator muzzt return Key to Megatron and Predaconzz!"

The friends were all shocked to hear stuff like this coming from a giant wasp robot. They all looked at Aelita in confusion; she was a key to something? But for what? Whatever it was, Aelita didn't seem to like it as she lowered herself out of sight. Clearly, what this wasp and these "Predacons" want with Aelita, it couldn't be good. They knew they had to keep her away from this bug now.

"If you think we'll give Aelita to you, then I've got bad news for you: FORGET IT, BUG-BRAIN!" Logan shouted, insulting the large robot.

"Yeah, so go buzz off back to your hive!" Oliver added on.

"YEAH!" Zeke and Nikki shouted, all of them determined to protect Aelita.

"Bzzzz, Wazzpinator will make you eat those wordzz!" Waspinator threatened, aiming his gun at the teens.

"You'll have to get past me to them, Bug-For-Brains!" Cheetor shouted out as he fired more shots at Waspinator, who dodged some of them, with others briefly hitting him. The giant wasp robot then fired back with his own shots, making Cheetor have no choice but to take cover behind the same rocks Logan and the gang were hiding behind.

"Did you guys miss me?" Cheetor said with a cocky smirk before trying to cock his gun. In doing so, the blaster seemed to get jammed, with Cheetor growling in frustration.

"Cheetor, what's wrong?" Logan asked, not liking the look the Maximal was making.

"Mrrowr, my gun's got a quasar jam!" Cheetor exclaimed smacking his gun a few times, "And of all the times for it to happen."

"Let us see it," Zeke suggested, "Maybe we can fix it."

"Wha-?!" Oliver stuttered in shock, "You expect us to fix an alien gun?!"

"Would you rather wait to pulverized by Robo-Bug up there, Oliver?!" Zeke asked with a stern look on his face. Oliver looked at the bug then at the gun. He seemed to have acknowledged the fact that he would rather live than die at the hands of an evil robot.

"Alright, touche," Oliver said before looking at Cheetor, "Give it here."

"Alright, but… I'm not sure if you guys can in time," Cheetor nodded as he handed them his quasar gun, with them getting to work immediately. Cheetor looked at Waspinator in worry for their safety - they were sitting ducks after all.

"Cheetor!" A new voice called out, one that was unfamiliar with Logan and the others, but one that Cheetor recognized. They looked up at the edge of the ditch and saw a rhino, a large rat, and a gorilla standing up on two legs calling out to the young Maximal. It was Optimus, Rhinox and Rattrap.

"You and the kids get to cover! We'll swat that pesky Predacon!" Optimus called out to Cheetor, wanting them to get to safety.

"More animals?!" Nikki said in shock. How many of these guys were there?

"I think these ones are friends of Cheetor, guys!" Logan said with a smile on his face.

"I hope you're right, Logan," Aelita said in worry.

"Ooh, I would not count on that, Maximals… Noo," Another voice spoke up, coming from the other side of the ditch. They all looked to see a giant scorpion, a pterodactyl, and giant tarantula following a purple T-Rex. Logan and his friends didn't recognize them, Optimus and the others knew exactly who they were...

Megatron and his crew of Predacons! They also must've seen the firefight Cheetor and Wasinator were in.

"For I believe that you are soon to have… how should I put it… _difficulties_ of your own… Yess…" Megatron finished his proclamation, with the Maximals and Predacons glaring at each other, knowing this would be the start of a new battle.

"Oh, crap," Zeke gulped in fear, "I think we stepped into something too deep this time, guys!"

"Well, that makes _all_ of us, Zeke," Logan said in agreement as Optimus stepped forward and began a conversation between him and the Predacon commander.

"We don't have to do this, Megatron," Optimus attempted to start a peaceful negotiation with the Predacon leader, "There has been peace between the Maximals and Predacons for centuries. Why start this up again?"

Megatron simply scoffed at the Maximal's futile attempt to persuade him, but he wasn't going to be manipulated that easily.

"Peace perhaps on your side, Maximal scum… Yess," Megatron replied with an evil smirk, "But not on ours. Permit me to inform you that an enemy which appears to be… 'peaceful', may, in fact, be merely… _biding_ its time."

"He makes a good point, guys," Nikki couldn't help but agree with the Predacon leader's explanation.

"Who's side are you on, Nikki?" Zeke scolded her, making go quiet with a pout face as Oliver tinkered with Cheetor's weapon until it finally cocked.

"Okay, Cheetor," Zeke said, holding up Cheetor's gun, "I think it's fixed."

"Uh, rawr, finally," Cheetor gladly took his weapon back, making sure to hide it from the Predacons' line of sight, "Thanks."

Meanwhile, Megatron continued his explanation for his actions.

"We Predacons have never truly abandoned our rightful goal of galactic conquest… Noo," Megatron said thoroughly, "We have merely been waiting… for the right moment… _to STRIKE!"_

"You mean like _this?!"_ Cheetor shouted as he aimed his quasar gun at the T-Rex and shot at him. The blasting projectile hit Megatron square in the lower jaw, knocking him back a few feet. The blast did a decent amount of damage on the surface of Megatron's beast mode.

"Argh!" He groaned in pain from the impact.

"Cheetor!" Optimus said, shocked at his scout's action, but was really hoping, along with Logan and his friends, that the blast put Megatron down for the count. He knew Cheetor would do something this reckless without knowing the consequences afterward.

"Nice shot, Cheetor!" Logan complimented, but his excitement faded once he saw Megatron regaining his footing and rubbing his jawline with a foreclaw.

"Ah, a treacherous, underhanded sneak attack," Megatron chuckled as he stared at Cheetor, "I like you, pussycat… Yess. But it shall avail you not… Noo. For now, the power gauntlet has been cast!"

"Uh-oh, that last part didn't sound too good," Oliver asked in anxiousness, "You guys got something to get us out of here?"

"I have one idea, but none of us are gonna like it," Logan explained, feeling like they were out of options at the moment.

"Why's that?" Oliver asked, solemnly concerned about what his best friend had in mind. Logan then did something his friends were definitely not expecting: he quickly stood up and started shouting at the T-Rex.

"Yo, ugly!" He taunted Megatron and his crew, "Why don't you and your gang of creeps go back under whatever rock you crawled out of and stay there!"

Everyone was shocked by Logan's sudden action. Megatron's eyes widened before glaring at the boy in anger. Optimus stared at the boy in surprise; he didn't exactly think someone like Logan had the guts to challenge Megatron head-on. Rattrap face-palmed himself, thinking the kid sealed his fate, while Rhinox and Cheetor were stunned by the boy's actions. Terrorsaur couldn't help but chuckle silently at that remark, while Tarantulas stared back and forth at Logan and Megatron. Scorponok stared at Megatron and stepped away from his leader, not wanting to be in the range of his master's wrath as Waspinator did the same thing in the air.

"Logan, what are you doing?!" Nikki said as she pulled him down, knowing he just pissed off the Predacons, "Now's not the time for mocking!"

"You guys have a better idea?! 'Cause I'm all ears if you do," Logan argued. He then noticed the frightened look on Aelita's face, worried what the Predacons might to her if they got her. Logan decided to comfort her by gently grasping her hand, making her blush.

"Don't worry, Aelita," Logan said, "We won't let those guys hurt you."

Aelita's blush was still visible, but she smiled at her new friend's words. Logan's friends looked at them with smirks on their faces, each one rolling their eyes at the scene. However, Megatron grew angered by the boy's insults and decided to teach him a lesson.

"How dare you speak to me that way, you little gnat!" Megatron seethed in wasn't going to Logan talk to him like that, "Just for that insult, after I'm through finishing off the Maximals, I'll grind you and your little friends into axle grease!"

Those words made Logan and his friends think the exact same thing…

'Oh, crap,'

"You'll do no such thing, Megatron!" Optimus proclaimed, not wanting his enemy to harm an innocent child, "If you're going to slag someone, start with me!"

"Oh, is that a declaration of war, Primal?" Megatron asked with an evil smirk, "If so, then…"

"Predacons! TERRORIZE!" Megatron shouted, making the friends sweat nervously. Optimus looked at his soldiers who looked back at him, awaiting the orders to face off against the enemy.

"Do it! MAXIMIZE!" Optimus shouted out his order.

Next thing Logan, Aelita and the others knew, every animal in the area was changing from beast to bot.

 _"Tarantulas - **TERRORIZE!"**_ The tarantula then folded up, revealing a pair of purple arachnid-based legs and yellow feet. Two green arms then folded out, with all eight spider limbs on the biceps and clawed hands forming from the fangs in spider mode. The tarantula's head then folded down into the main body, with the multi-eyed face forming the robot abdomen and the abdomen of the beast mode forming the chest, revealing a purple head with a round yellow gem on the forehead, a yellow visor for eyes and vertical arachnid-based mandibles for a mouth. Tarantulas then reached to his backside and grabbed a crossbow-like gun. Logan and his friends all thought this robot mode was the most creepy out of the Predacons so far.

 _"Rhinox - **MAXIMIZE!"**_ The rhino began to change form as his sides opened up and this rear flipped onto his back. The back of his hind legs folded down to heels of his feet as the rear half of the body folded back and onto the legs. The rear legs then rotated 180 degrees to the front as the robot in disguise stood up and the front legs rotated out and down, and folded out two fists. The sides of the rhino then folded into the body as the arms extended and the lower jaw unhinged and folded down, forming a chest plate with the teeth pointing out. The upper half of the rhino head slid down into the back, revealing a green head with red eyes. Rhinox then grabbed two gun-like weapons with razor blades at the barrels.

 _"Scorponok - **TERRORIZE!"**_ The giant scorpion then clipped his claws before the head split and flipped to the backside. A robot head with a yellow visor then folded out by the tail as the legs folded down and the tail and body reconnected. The scorpion legs then folded into the body as the claws rotated with larger halves on top and the tail rotating to point upwards. The head then spun around as the claws opened up and revealed two sets of missile launchers.

 _"Rattrap - **MAXIMIZE!"**_ Rattrap's sides then folded up halfway as two robot arms folded out of the body. The hind side then folded up and into the back as the back rat legs extended back and robot feet folded onto the rat feet. The arms then reached out and rotated with two guns in hand as the rat head folded down, forming a chest plate.

 _"Terrorsaur - **TERRORIZE!"**_ Terrorsaur's pterodactyl head folded back as the tail folded down onto the belly side. The legs then adjusted into robot arms as hands folded out of the feet. The belly side then folded out, revealing two robot legs as a robot head raised up where the tail was. Terrorsaur then removed the back part of the pterodactyl head, revealing it to be a blaster.

 _"Megatron - **TERRORIZE!"**_ Megatron, the leader and final Predacon began his transformation by shifting down his thighs over his knees, splitting the chest and arms in half and folding it back. The tail and T-Rex head then extended from the body as the legs straightened out like human legs. The body of the T-Rex then opened up, revealing robotic circuits as it rotated ninety degrees counterclockwise and back 180 degrees. The dinosaur head and tail eventually became the arms of Megatron's robot form as his black metal head folded out of his robot body, revealing a purple face with red eyes and metallic silver teeth.

 _"Optimus - **MAXIMIZE!"**_ Optimus changed from gorilla to giant robot by standing up straight and compartments in the body opened up as it shifted. The waist down the legs rotated a full 180 degrees clockwise and the heels of the feet become the actual foot, revealing red joints connecting the legs to the body, red knees, and silver legs. The gorilla head then lowered onto the chest and the face rotated 180 degrees into it, revealing a silver mechanical chest plate with a red ring in the center, and a new, gray-blue head looking like it was half-machine and half-animal with red eyes, sharp teeth. The biceps of the gorilla mode the rotated up ninety upwards and into the shoulders, making shoulder armor and showing silver and red biceps. The face then folded down into the chest before two silver spikes folded out and pointed upwards before the face folded back up. The new head then rotated 180 degrees, revealing a new face with a metallic blue head with a silver crest, and a silver face with red eyes, and a mouth color in gray-blue.

Logan and the others were shocked at this site. Every animal surrounding them appeared to be a robot in disguise, each ready to blast each other to smithereens. They all waited for one side to make a move before Megatron shouted out.

"Now… _OBLITERATE THEM!"_

That was when every Predacon opened fire at the Maximals, as did they with them.

"Everyone down!" Logan shouted as they all took cover behind the rock. Next thing they knew, they were caught in the middle of an all-out battle. Megatron shot out missiles from his T-Rex arm and lasers from his tail arm. Tarantulas fired multiple bullets from his spider limbs and hitech arrows from his crossbow. Scorponok fired missiles out from his scorpion claws while Terrorsaur fired lasers from his handgun. Rattrap shot out pulsar bullets from his gun as Rhinox shot rapid-fire bullets from his machine guns. Optimus fired lasers from his handgun and rockets from his left wrist. Each shot was destroying the area, with Cheetor, Logan, Aelita, Oliver, Zeke and Nikki at the center of it all.

The Maximals had no choice but to take cover behind large rocks, knowing they were outmanned _and_ outgunned. Still, for the humans' sake, they came out from time to time to fire their own shots, hoping to direct their fire from the humans. With every explosion near them, the group of friends ducked, keeping their heads down to avoid getting hit by any flying rocks or shrapnel.

"Man, we've definitely stepped in it now, my peeps!" Zeke said hysterically, not knowing what to do here, "I mean, I've heard people talk about war so much and how horrible it is, especially when you're in one, but I never thought I'd be in the middle of one!"

"Yeah, I didn't know what to expect, but giant alien robots duking it out but _this_ was not it!" Nikki exclaimed in panic as Aelita unexpectedly hugged Logan's waist, making him blush.

"Logan, I'm scared!" She cried with tears down her face. Logan snapped out of his flustered state and hugged her back, holding her close.

"Don't worry, Aelita," He said in reassurance, "We've got you."

"We've gotta scramble to the Maximals before we get caught in the crossfire!" Cheetor said, both firing at the Preds and ducking from their fire.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Spots, but we're _already_ in the crossfire!" Oliver reminded the Maximal, "There are missiles, lasers and bullets practically everywhere we turn!"

"Don't worry, I'll give you guys some cover fire!" Cheetor told them, readying his quasar gun, "Just get to the Maximals! Fast!"

"You heard the bot, dudes," Zeke said, not wanting to be in the middle anymore, "Let's run for it!"

Cheetor then fired some more shots of his own as cover fire as the teens made a run for the "safety" of the Maximals. Logan was hesitant to leave Cheetor behind, since he was now the only one caught in the crossfire. But right now, all that mattered was to get to the Maximals fast. Besides, Cheetor would be right behind them.

The friends all made it to the rocks the Maximals were using as cover and hid behind them with the robots. Optimus took cover from a few shots and looked at the children in concern.

"Ugh, you kids alright?" He asked, hoping they weren't hurt.

"Uh, since we're caught between whatever kind of beef you guys have with them…" Zeke began before yelling, "NOT REALLY!"

"Stay behind us and keep your heads down!" Rhinox told them, "We'll keep you safe!"

"Yeah, wouldn't want your puny heads gettin' blown off!"' Rattrap said bluntly, making the teens - save for Aelita - glare at him coldly.

"Gee, that makes us feel so much better," Oliver said in sarcasm. Rattrap just sighed before firing a few more shots at the Preds. He then ducked once a missile was inbound and hit the rock.

"Yeah, I think we should save smartass remarks for later," Logan said, "You know, for when we're not getting shot at!"

In the crater, Cheetor decided he spent enough time playing decoy and made a run for his fellow Maximals. Unfortunately, he was spotted by Scorponok, who shot a missile from his claws. The missile barely missed him from behind, but the blastwave sent him rolling back down into the ditch, with rocks trapping his right leg. Cheetor attempted to pull it out, but the rocks proved to be too heavy for him.

"Rrowl! I-I'm stuck!" He called out.

Optimus and the others - including Logan and his friends - saw him trapped, and knew he would make an easy target for the Preds. He turned to his fellow Maximal, Rattrap, and spoke to him.

"Rattrap! Help Cheetor!" He ordered the rat to rescue the scout, "We'll cover you!"

"Tch, yeah, right!" Rattrap said, denying the commander's order.

Optimus knew this wasn't the time for Rattrap to be a coward, so he chided, "That's an order, Rattrap!"

"Yeah? An' you can kiss my skid plate, fearless leader!" Rattrap retorted, "'Cause I ain't goin' out there an' gettin' _my_ pelt punctured!"

Optimus groaned at the rat's persistent denial of his orders. Logan looked at the rat in disbelief, for he thought Rattrap was Cheetor's friend.

'What the hell is this rat's problem?! If he's Cheetor's friend, why won't he go and help him?!' He thought in perplexity. That was when an idea popped in his head: the suit and powers from before, he could them here and now!

"Well, if you won't go help him, then I will!" Logan exclaimed to Rattrap before heading into a running dash back into the crater to help Cheetor, shocking the Maximals and his friends.

"Logan?!" Oliver called out in disbelief.

"Dude, get back here!" Nikki called out to him, thinking he was about to enact a suicide mission.

"Not without Cheetor!" Logan shot back, still running. However, this action got the attention of Megatron, who smirked with an idea in his head.

"Ah, what do we have here?" He rhetorically asked before ordering his soldiers, "Tarantulas! Terrorsaur! Concentrate your fire on the boy! Let's… have some fun… in _MOVING TARGET PRACTICE...!"_

With that order, Megatron, Terrorsaur and Tarantulas aimed at Logan and fired. Logan saw the shots, and surprisingly dodge each and every one of them with ease. All that time running from and avoiding bullies must be paying off. The Maximals saw how the boy had excellent reflexes, for a human that is.

Cheetor saw Logan heading his way and into the line of fire and feared the human's life.

"Mrowr! What are you doing, Logan?!" Cheetor shouted to get Logan away from the shots, "Get back up there and stay with the Maximals!"

"You helped us, Cheetor, it's our turn to help you!" Logan exclaimed before grabbing his Ziku-Driver and Ridewatch.

 _ **Ziku-Driver!**_

Logan's actions were confusing the Maximals, Predacons and Aelita as they watched him.

"What's he doing?!" Rhinox asked loudly.

"Yeah, you all might be surprised at you're about to see," Zeke explained bluntly, "I know we were."

Logan attached the belt to his waist and spun the dial of his Ridewatch before activating it.

 _ **Zi-O!**_

Logan inserted the watch into the slot on the right-hand side of the Driver and pressed the top button, making the giant clock appear behind him again. Confusion and curiosity filled the minds of the Maximals, Predacons and Atelita before called out the transformation phrase.

 _"Henshin!"_ He called out, before spinning the belt and transforming a second time.

 _ **Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Zi-O!**_

Logan was now Kamen Rider Zi-O again and prepared to fight against the Predacons. The sudden transformation shocked both sides. They all wondered who this kid was as he ran past Cheetor to protect him from the Predacons' fire.

"What the slag?!" Cheetor exclaimed in shock.

"I got your back, Cheetor!" Zi-O said as he pulled out his weapon in gun mode, which spelled out the word "gun" in katakana

 ** _Zikan GiLade!_**

 ** _Zyu!_**

 _ジュウ = "Gun"_

"Eat this, Mega-Dork!" Zi-O aimed his gun at Megatron and fired some shots of his own at him. The shots somehow managed to match their own, which surprised both the Maximals and Predacons.

"Aagh, how is this possible?!" Megatron groaned after getting hit by one of the shots, "This human's firepower matches our own!"

Optimus watched as this teen bravely put his life on the line to help the scout. However, he also saw that Logan made an opening to help Cheetor. He knew Rattrap wouldn't help due to his stubbornness, so there was only one thing left to do: get in the ditch himself and get Cheetor out of there fast.

"Now's our chance to help Cheetor!" Optimus exclaimed as he activated his jetpack and took off into the sky. He then dived down into the ditch to help Cheetor and Logan get out of there. Unfortunately, this dive made him vulnerable to the Predacons' attacks as Megatron shot one of the jetpack's thrusters with his laser cannon, injuring Optimus.

"Optimus!" Rhinox shouted in worry.

"See?!" Rattrap shouted out with a mocking laugh, surprising Logan's friends, "Told ya!"

Optimus managed to land on his feet, thankfully, and shoot the rocks holding Cheetor down with his arm blasters. Optimus offered his hand out to help the scout up, and Cheetor gladly accepted the gesture. Megatron saw this and knew they had to get rid of the Maximals _quickly!_

"Do _not_ let them escape!" Megatron ordered, making his fellow Predacons concentrate their firepower at Zi-O, Cheetor and Optimus, who ducked to avoid the shots. It was easier for Logan to avoid the attacks due to two reasons: the enhanced abilities from the armor, and running away from bullies for most of his life. But even he knew they couldn't dodge for long, not without cover.

As they fired at the three, Rhinox knew he had to force Rattrap into providing cover fire for them. So he picked him up by the shoulders.

"'Ey!" Rattrap exclaimed in shock, "Let me down, ya big bulldozer!"

Rhinox then brought Rattrap up to his face saying, "Cover fire. They need it, we give it. Now!"

Rattrap gulped at the Maximal's intimidating looks as he quickly nodded before providing cover fire for Optimus, Cheetor and Logan. They managed to land a few shots on Megatron, Scorponok and Tarantulas, but still couldn't get their allies out of there, given that Waspinator and Terrorsaur were pinning them down in the air. That's Oliver, Zeke and Nikki decided to come up with an idea that'll get them out of this mess.

"You guys heard the big guy; we've gotta help 'em!" Oliver stated with a determined look.

"How, dude?" Zeke asked, still shaken by what's going on here, "We don't have any weapons that are gonna do some damage!"

Oliver sighed at that remark. Zeke made a good point; even if they did have weapons, the firepower would not be enough to take down these Predacons. That's when it donned on him; they'll make do with what they have and provide cover.

"Empty your bags and pockets," Oliver ordered, "We'll make what we need with what we have!"

The friends all obliged with the order and started going through their bags and pockets to see what items were available. As everything was out on the ground, they skimmed through each and every item to see if they could be useful in any way possible. Luckily, they did find something useful.

"Let's see…" Oliver said looking through the items again, "A foldable bow and arrows, some thin but strong rope, and eight colorful smoke flares… this could work!"

"How?!" Zeke said in shock and disbelief, wondering what was going on Oliver's head, "And why do we even have smoke flares?!"

"In case we get stranded somewhere and need to signal a helicopter," Oliver explained as quickly as possible, before explaining the plan he had for the items, "Anyway, Zeke, you, Aelita and I are gonna tie the smoke flares to the arrows. Once you're done with one, hand it to Nikki and start another. Nikki, you're gonna open the flares and shoot them at those baddies."

"But arrows aren't gonna do anything against them!" Nikki stated a very good point.

"I know that, but right now, we need a distraction," Oliver said, looking at her with an expression that made her eyes widen in realization.

"Oh!" She gasped before smiling and taking the bow and unfolding it. The others then did what Oliver told them to do and started taking arrows and smoke flares and tying them together for their little "distraction".

"Got one done!" Zeke exclaimed with a smile, with a complete smoking arrow in hand.

"Give it here!" Nikki said and Zeke obliged before she opened a flare and aimed at the Preds, "Eat smoke, robo-asses!"

Nikki then shot the smoking arrow at the other side of the ditch. The Predacons were confused at this action before realizing that these arrows were being used as a distraction to provide cover for Logan, Optimus and Cheetor.

"Got another one!" Oliver said as they all continued making cover for their friends, with Nikki providing it for them.

Logan saw what his friends were doing with the multicolored smoke flares. He knew this distraction was what he, Optimus and Cheetor needed to get out of the crossfire. Only one thing was left to do…

"Nice Distraction," Logan commented as he removed the Ridewatch from his belt, "Time to finish this and get out of here!"

The Rider then placed the watch into the slot of his weapon to begin a new finishing move.

 _ **FINISH TIME!**_

The gun then charged up with magenta energy as Zi-O aimed at Megatron, who was barely visible from the smoke. He then pulled the trigger…

 _ **Zi-O… ZURE ZURE SHOOTING!**_

…firing off a large energy bullet, hitting the Predacon commander in the chest. The impact from the blast pushed him back a few feet away as enough smoke covered the Maximals, making it hard for the Preds to see them. That was the right time to escape as Optimus, Cheetor and Logan ran out of the ditch with full force.

"Everyone! Back to the base!" Optimus ordered loudly as they ran past the other Maximals and Logan's friends, "Let's go! LET'S GO!"

The others followed them, retreating from the more threatening Predacons to the other mountain. When the smoke was starting to clear, Megatron saw them running away, and was angered beyond proportion.

"After them!" Megatron ordered, clearly pissed off that he didn't get to destroy the Maximals, "Go, you-AAARRGGHHH!"

Megatron groaned in pain as he could feel his systems overloading, electricity sparking from his body. It wasn't just him either; one by one, the Predacon crew all started seizing up, with Waspinator and Terrorsaur falling to the ground.

"Wazzpi-na-nator cannnot mmooove…" Waspinator buzzed out a groan of pain, feeling weak from the overload.

"Energon… field build-up…" Megatron stated, knowing they had to cease fire, "…Convert back… to beast mode…!"

The Predacon crew obliged and changed back to their respective forms as they watched the Maximals and humans get away. Megatron glared at Logan with his optics before growling in anger from the human's little insult.

"That little organic brat!" Megatron seethed, "The next time I see him, his head will be my trophy!"

"They're getting away!" Terrorsaur stated, with the other Preds giving him deadpanned looks.

"We are not blind, Terrorsaur!" Megatron shot back, "You pitiful mongrels should have eliminated them! Dino-Bot was right, if we had blasted them out of orbit then, we would have to be searching for the Key, nor would we have to deal with the Maximals!"

As Megatron ranted about, Waspinator remembered something very important: the Key!

"Megatron, Megatron!" Waspinator quickly flew to his master to inform him, "Wazzpinator has important information!"

"This better be about the Key, Waspinator!" Megatron seethed in anger, "Otherwise, I'll have you melt in the lava back at base! Yess…!"

"Wazzpinator knowzz more than that!" Waspinator said gleefully, "Wazzpinator knowzz what Key look like! It izz white-haired girl with humanzz and Maximalzz!"

That - to Megatron - was, most definitely, important information.

"The white-haired one, eh?" "Follow the Maximals, but keep a safe distance! We don't want any… unwanted alerts… noo…"

Later after the battle, the Maximals were taking Logan and his friends back to the Maximal base on the other mountain. They were all back in beast mode due to energon build-up, so they had to get as far away from the Preds as possible right now. Optimus was sitting on top of Rhinox with Rattrap sitting behind him, resting up his damaged systems while Cheetor was walking right beside Rhinox. As for Logan and the others, he was walking alongside Cheetor with Aelita on the feline robot's back, Oliver on Rhinox's neck, and Zeke and Nikki right beside Rhinox. While they walked to the mountain, Optimus reached to his back and grabbed Rattrap by his neck.

"'Ey!" Rattrap said, seeing that for 'some reason' Optimus was upset with him, "'Ey, what's got your servos so bent?!"

"Let's get one thing straight, Rattrap; _I_ am commander of this group, and when I give an order, I _expect_ it to be obeyed!" Optimus reminded him in a scolding tone.

"Oh yeah?" Rattrap replied snarkily, "So _I_ get vaped because _you're_ too chicken to go _yourself?!"_

"I will _not_ give an order I would not be willing to do myself!" Optimus told him before sighing, "But I was capable of giving you better cover fire. _You_ were not. And because of that, you put that boy's life in danger."

"Yeah? Well, I didn't ask the kid to go in my place!" Rattrap said bluntly, making Logan glare at the giant rodent, "Besides, he was tough enough to take on a Pred with that armor of his."

"Uh… thanks, I guess…" Logan said, not sure whether to be thankful for insulted.

"It doesn't matter if he's tough in that armor," Optimus scolded him further, "The boy, Cheetor and I of us were all under fire."

"Eh, hey, come on, what are you shortin' about?" Rattrap asked as he was placed back down behind Optimus, "We all got out of there alive, didn't we?"

"But injured," The commander reminded him, "It'll take time for our beast forms to affect internal repairs."

"Eh, yeah, well…" Rattrap started to say, "Better you than me…"

"Pfft," Nikki scoffed, "Cheese-muncher."

That remark made her brother chuckle a bit. Logan listened to the entire conversation between the gorilla and the rat. He couldn't blame the ape for scolding the rat, but right now, there were more important things on his mind. For example, who and what were these guys, where did they come from and why are they all here? Fighting a war no less!

"Um… excuse me, Optimus… sir?" Logan spoke up, catching the commander's attention.

"Yes?" Optimus replied.

"Uh, hey, can me and my friends ask you a few things?" Logan asked as respectfully as possible, "I mean, I feel like we should get some answers after all the weird stuff happening today."

"You mean besides you getting a badass suit of armor, being hunted by another guy in another badass suit of armor and finding Aelita here in the mountains?" Zeke inquired with a skeptical look.

"Yes," Logan answered with a roll of the eyes, "Considering we nearly got blown up."

Optimus sighed at that question. He knew that question had to be asked by the human, but he didn't think so soon. He and the Maximals will have to inform him and his friends

"We'll fill you in back at our base," Optimus answered, making the others raise their brows in confusion.

"I'm sorry, your base?" Logan asked.

* * *

 _ **BACK UNDERGROUND IN THE MOUNTAIN; 1:53 P.M.**_

* * *

"Logan Briggs, Oliver Shepherd, Ezekiel and Nikki Bishop, Aelita," Optimus said as they arrived at their former ship, introducing the human friends to it, "Welcome to the Maximal exploration ship: the Axelon."

Logan, Oliver, Nikki, Zeke and Aelita all stared in wonder at the alien ship. Sure, it was a bit of a wreck, but it was still a sight to behold. Upon entering the ship, they saw that a lot of things were bigger than they anticipated; as in bigger computers, consoles, chairs, everything, big enough for the Maximals to use, but also not too big so that humans could use it.

"Hoho, this is awesome," Oliver practically squealed with joy at the sight of the tech, "So much alien tech."

"Heh, primitives," Rattrap scoffed.

"I heard that!" Oliver exclaimed, insulted by the rat's remark.

"Well, now that we're all here…" Oliver said as the Maximals all stood near the center console, "I believe it's time for introductions."

The Maximals then all transformed into their robot modes before giving the teenage humans an explanation.

"My name is Optimus Primal," The commander introduced himself, "I am the commander of Axelon's crew of Maximals, and our job is to explore the unknown recesses of deep space."

"Kind of like 'Star Trek', Sis," Zeke whispered to his sister, with rolling eyes as her response.

"Shh, quiet," She hushed Zeke, wanting to listen to the Maximals' story.

"Correction: it _was_ our mission before boss monkey here called in a new mission to chase down those Preds," Rattrap said bluntly, making the commander glare at the rodent, "And in case there wasn't any indicator by the beast mode, the name's Rattrap; engineering expert and scavenger."

"Rhinox is the name," The rhino-bot spoke, "My job is artillery and research."

"You already met Cheetor," Optimus gestured a hand towards the Maximal scout, "His job is to explore and provide reconnaissance for the crew."

"Well, he's definitely fast enough for the job," Oliver said as a compliment.

"Heh, thanks," Cheetor chuckled.

"Well, that partially explains why you're all here on Earth," Logan said, wanting to know more before asking, "But what about those other guys? You know, the ones that nearly blew us to smithereens? And why, for that matter, why were you guys fighting?"

The Maximals looked at each other before back at Logan and his friends, knowing they had no choice but to let the kids in on their little secret.

"That was Megatron and his group of Predacon criminals," Optimus explained further, "You see, eons ago in our time, on our planet, the robotic world of Cybertron, was inhabited by two warring factions: the heroic Autobots who fought for freedom and prosperity for all sentient beings, and the evil Decepticons who intended on ruling not only Cybertron, but the entire universe with an iron fist."

"Ha, literally," Zeke chuckled.

"Zip it, Zeke," Oliver glared at his friend to shut up.

"The battle between the two factions left the planet desolate and barren, leaving them no choice but to evacuate the planet," Optimus continued telling the origins of the Maximals and Predacons, "No one knows how, but the Autobots won the Great War and restored Cybertron, bringing a new age of peace and prosperity."

"That is until their descendants met up with each other," Cheetor continued the story, "Us Maximals are the direct descendants of the Autobots, while Megatron and his goons are related to the Decepticons, and it wasn't long for the Preds to follow in their ancestors' footsteps."

"Once again, Cybertron became a battleground, this time with the Maximals and Predacons at each other's throats," Rhinox dove deeper into the story, "It wasn't until centuries ago that the Maximal Army and Predacon Alliance ceased their fighting and signed a treaty, ensuring that there would be no repeat of the Great War."

"However, the Predacons appeared to be more and more skeptical, and some predicted that a number of them would break the treaty; namely criminals such as Megatron," Rattrap clarified.

"We were originally exploring unknown worlds and star systems when we received a transmission to track down Megatron and his crew," Rhinox then began explaining how they got to Earth, "We chased them through a transwarp drive portal that brought us through space and time to prehistoric Earth, that's when we crashed and shut down."

"Okay, but why were you guys chasing Megatron in the first place?" Oliver asked, knowing that whatever the Preds came to Earth for, it was with something they had with them to begin with.

"Megatron and his crew stole two of Cybertron's most carefully-guarded artifacts," Optimus explained as he pulled up the theft report on the center console as a hologram, "One of them was the Golden Disk; a special type of data disk from the time of the Great War that gave the location to a major energon source."

"Energon?" Aelita quirked a brow.

"The lifeblood and power source of the entire Cybertronian race," Rattrap specified, "We harvest the stuff to power weapons, vehicles and recharge our systems."

"And with Megatron looking for a massive amount of energon, he could be unstoppable if he succeeds," Optimus said, the concern about this situation clearly upsetting him.

"But how come Mega-Dork and his goons started shorting out?" Zeke asked, remembering how the Preds started seizing up earlier.

"Apparently, the Preds didn't expect to find a lot of energon on a planet 'dis size," Rattrap bluntly explained.

"Unexpectedly, the planet seems to have more energon than the average amount for a world this size," Rhinox said, surprising the human teens, "With so much energon, the energy emitting from the element will make our robot modes start to short out after a few minutes of exposure. Which is one reason why we took the forms of your planet's creatures."

"What about the other artifact?" Nikki asked, excited by where this story was heading.

"The Key…" Optimus began, "Some say it was created by the original leaders of Cybertron, known as the Primes, to one day fulfill a prophecy some say was whispered to the Primes by Primus, the very being who forged our planet."

"What prophecy?" Logan asked. First an evil version of himself in the future and now an ancient prophecy from an alien robot race.

"A prophecy that will lead the wielder of the Key to untold power," Rhinox clarified, surprising the teen even further, "If Megatron finds it, it could mean the Great War could start all over again and put the entire universe in danger."

"Eh, the only problem is that we have no scrappin' clue where the Key could be," Rattrap said, arms crossed in frustration.

"Well, if it did crash here, shouldn't you guys be able to find it with like a tracker or something?" Oliver asked, wondering why a highly-advanced alien race of robots wouldn't

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Oliver," Cheetor said, making the situation a bit more dire, "We managed to track the Key here to Earth thanks to a tracker that was installed, but when it crashed, the energon started interfering with its signal."

The gang all groaned and sighed, upset by the fact of not being able to find the Key. And you think they would after being through a lot today: the monster, Logan becoming Zi-O, meeting Kamen Rider Geiz and Tsukuyomi, falling into the mountain, finding Aelita inside a pod in a chamber inside the first mountain and…

That's when it dawned on Logan… he briefly glanced at Aelita as he thought about where they found her. She was in a mechanical pod in an ancient tomb inside the first mountain. And the pod mentioned something about Cybertronians… now he officially knows what that meant.

"Wait a minute," Logan said before the Maximals said anything else, "Was the Key in some kind of pod?"

"Something like that, yes," Optimus nodded before quirking a brow in confusion, "How'd you know that?"

Logan looked at Aelita again, making her look at him before turning back to the Maximals and sighing.

"We found Aelita in a pod-like container," He said, making his friends realize where he was going with this, "It almost looked like a sarcophagus, with an eye symbol on it. But we didn't find anything that looked like a Key. And it still doesn't explain why that overgrown wasp was after us and Aelita."

That description made Optimus' and the other Maximal's optics widen in shock. That was the exact same description as the Key's container. That made Optimus look at Aelita, which kind of made her uncomfortable.

"I think it's… no, I'm sure it's because Aelita _is_ the Key," Optimus said, shocking everyone in the room.

"What?!" Aelita said in shock.

"But how can that be?" Zeke asked in confusion, since Aelita didn't look like a robot like the Maximals or Predacons.

"It's possible the Key took the form of a human as it protected itself in the pod," Optimus explained, "The pod was also mysteriously designed to acknowledge and learn anything about its surroundings."

"That would probably explain the chamber she was in," Logan replied, holding his chin in thought, "Her pod must've been found by Native Americans centuries ago, and they must've presumed it to be a sign from one of their deities as it was really studying them."

"Quite the assumption, Logan," Rhinox commented, making the teen blush with a smile.

"Okay, but what would happen if the Predacons were to get their literal cold-as-steel hands on Aelita?" Logan asked, knowing that he would regret that question very soon.

"As I said before, Logan," Optimus answered clenching his fist, "It could mean the end of peace and the start of a new war that could ravage the universe itself."

"And every circuit of my being is telling me their gonna start this war here on Earth," Optimus finished, worry in his voice.

"WHAT?!" The friends all shouted in shock and fear. This was bad; if they were to start their war on Earth, nobody will be safe. Not them, their friends, nor their families. And something told them not even the armies of the world's nations could stand up against them

"Optimus, if that's the case, then we need to let the whole world know about this!" Oliver exclaimed in panic, "If there's a war coming, then we need to be prepared!"

"It's not that simple, Oliver," Rhinox interrupted the boy's panicking, "First of all, Humanity's defenses are no match for Cybertronian weaponry; your civilization could face extinction. Secondly, the moment they lay eyes on us, there'll certainly be a worldwide panic."

"Oh, well, when you put it that way," Oliver said, feeling stupid for suggesting his suggestion.

"So in other words, Aelita needs to be kept safe…" Logan said before looking at Aelita again, getting a feeling that told him to protect Aelita and their home before turning to his friends," Guys, huddle up."

The four friends huddled together to discuss the situation and how to resolve it. This action confused Aelita and the Maximals as they whispered to each other. On the one hand, they were no match for the Predacons by themselves, on the other, they saw an opportunity to help save the planet; an impossible task that can't be done by them alone. But with help from the Maximals, they just might be able to get it done. They removed themselves from the huddle before facing the Maximals again, with determined looks on their faces.

"You guys can count on us, Optimus," Logan said immediately, "We'll help in any way to make sure Aelita's protected…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid! Y'all ain't gonna be any use to us 'cept for being target practice for the Preds!" Rattrap exclaimed, making the teens feel insulted.

"What?!" Oliver said in shock, "You pretty much just told Logan he's tough enough to take on a Pred in his armor!"

"'Dat was, uh… before I found out about how bad the sitch was, eh," Rattrap said, making the humans glare at him in anger.

"Shut your trap, Rattrap!" Cheetor seethed, smacking the back of the rodent's head.

"Actually, I'm afraid Rattrap's right," Optimus said, making Rattrap smile a cocky smile and the humans stare at him in shock, "Logan, despite your bravery and power, my crew and I are the only ones who can stop Megatron. Besides, the last thing I want is to put you, your friends and family involved."

"But Optimus-!" Logan said before being cut off.

"I'm sorry, Logan," Optimus apologized, "But my decision is final."

That last sentence made the four friends look down at the ground in depression.

"Well… I don't suppose you guys can bring us back to our campsite?" Logan asked, still down about the fact that the Maximals wouldn't let them help. Luckily for them, Optimus nodded in agreement.

"We'll come with you, just in case Megatron is still looking for you," Optimus said before turning to Aelita, "Aelita, you and Rattrap stay here, it's much safer aboard the Axalon."

"Heh, good enough for me!" Rattrap said in glee.

"But Optimus, I want to be with Logan and his friends," Aelita said, feeling very uncomfortable and sad to separate from Logan as she grabbed his arm, making him blush.

"I'm sorry, Aelita, but with the Predacons still out there, it's too dangerous for you to out in the open," Optimus replied, having no time for an argument.

"Please?" Aelita said beggingly, with a sad puppy dog look. Optimus sighed knowing she wouldn't take no for an answer before coming to a compromise.

"Alright, you can come along and see him off," Optimus said, "But I'm afraid that's it; after that, you can't see Logan or his friends again."

"But I…" Aelita was about to argue with him before Logan interrupted.

"It's okay, Aelita. It's probably better this way," He said before turning to Optimus, "And I promise your secret is safe with me, Optimus."

"Same here," Oliver called out, "There's no one better to trust than us."

"Yeah, all four of us!" Zeke exclaimed in thrill.

"Not a peep!" Nikki made a zipping lip gesture.

"Thank you, all of you," Optimus said before ordering, "Maximals, move out!"

"Ugh, just when I was settling back in," Rattrap groaned in disappointment before changing back to beast mode alongside the other Maximals. They all exited the ship and started to head back to the other mountain. Three whole hours of walking down a much longer path. The reason why: they didn't the Predacons to find them down the shorter routes. Logan and his friends had to take breaks from walking by getting on Rhinox's back until their feet were okay again. They were now on their feet as Cheetor was scouting area see if the Predacons were nearby. While they were walking, Oliver noticed a depressed look on Logan's face and how Aelita was sad that she wouldn't be able to see her new friends again before she spoke up

"Do you really have to leave, Logan?" She asked with a frown.

"We all want to stay and help, Aelita, believe me," Logan said honestly, "But as Optimus said, we'll just get in the way of things, even with me as a Kamen Rider."

That sentence made Aelita feel more sad. Logan then gently grasped her hand as they walked, confusing her.

"But I doubt this is goodbye forever, Aelita," Logan said in reassurance, "I'm pretty sure we'll meet again one day. Okay?"

"…O-okay…" Aelita said, struggling to make a smile. Rhinox saw this and turned to Optimus to speak to him.

"You know, Optimus, these kids might be of some help," Rhinox said with a confident voice, seeing if he can convince the commander, "They know more about Earth than we do, even with what our satellite probes could gather, and Logan's abilities might give him a chance to fight alongside us."

Optimus couldn't help but mentally agree with Rhinox; the more-intelligent Maximal made a good point. Logan and his friends _do_ know a lot more about Earth than he and his crew, and Logan has proven himself to be brave on the battlefield. But still, Optimus thought it was best if Logan and his friends stayed out of their business to keep safe.

"Plus, I think Aelita trusts him more than us," Rhinox added, looking towards Aelita hugging Logan by the shoulder again, "It doesn't exactly seem wise to separate those two."

Again, Rhinox made a good point…

"Maybe so, Rhinox, but for their safety, as well as Aelita's, it would be best if the children didn't come back," Optimus said as his final word. Rhinox simply grunted in response as Rattrap spoke up to ask some questions of his own.

"Eh, while we're walking, how's about you tell us about that suit of yours, kid?" The rodent Maximal asked. That was a topic that caught the Maximals and Aelita's attention, since they were all curious as to why Logan transformed back at the battle.

"Uh…" Logan stuttered, thinking it was not best to say anything, but Rattrap started pressuring him.

"'Ey, we shared our secrets with you, it's only fair you share yours with us," He said, making a good point. Logan then repeated everything he explained to his friends; everything that happened in the past 24 hours. Needless to say, the Maximals and Aelita were a bit skeptical.

"So let me get 'dis straight," Rattrap began, "You expect us to believe that fifty years in the future you become a tyrant that controls time and space, and that two time-travelers try to stop ya from becoming said tyrant?"

"Yes," Logan replied, bummed that he had to repeat this conversation again.

"And that just today, you received the power of time to become a Kamen Rider like Build and his predecessors?" Optimus asked with a quirked brow.

"Yes," Logan answered, hoping that was the final question. The Maximals and Aelita were in disbelief as they turned to Logan's friends, to see if they can vouch for him.

"We know what you're thinking: it's hard to believe," Oliver said, "But so are robot animals from another world chasing criminals to Earth millions of years ago."

"Alright, good point," Optimus chuckled a bit, "Still seems hard to believe, but we'll take your word for it."

Just then Cheetor came from behind them right up next to Optimus to report.

"No sign of the Preds, Optimus," Cheetor said, thanking Primus that the Predacons weren't present, "I think we gave 'em the fade."

"Keep your sensors on full," Optimus Primal ordered, "According to the Golden Disk theft reports there were _six_ Predacons. One of them was missing from the battle."

"Yeah, well, uh… maybe he was destroyed in the crash," Rattrap said hopefully.

 _"That_ kind of luck we haven't been getting much of lately," Rhinox clarified, making the rodent moan in annoyance.

"That kind of luck is something _none of us_ were getting today," Zeke pointed out.

"Tell me about it," Cheetor said as they approached a naturally formed stone bridge and saw something, or rather someone, "Look!"

On the other end of the stone bridge, a large brown velociraptor was waiting, as if on cue for the Maximals. The Maximals and the human teens halted just before the bridge, with Aelita hiding behind Logan in fear. Oliver, Zeke, and Nikki stepped back a bit in both disbelief and fear, knowing that a velociraptor shouldn't be alive after they became extinct. Meaning this guy had to be the missing Predacon.

"Oh, great," Oliver said in irritation, "First, time travelers, then animals, dinosaurs and giant bugs being robots in disguise, and now a living velociraptor?"

"Uh… I think we just found Predacon number six," Logan stated as he and Aelita back up a bit.

"Should we blast him?" Rhinox asked, being cautious as to how they should proceed.

"Keep that option open," Optimus answered, hoping to start a more _peaceful_ negotiation than last time, "But hang on."

"Attention, Maximals!" The velociraptor spoke in a rather menacing voice, "My name is Dino-Bot. I have left the Predacons to join your group… as leader!"

"W-what?!" Cheetor stuttered in shock, "Did I hear the word 'leader'?"

"Okay, so that makes both of us," Zeke said as he hid behind Rhinox.

"This guy's got bearings of chrome steel," Rhinox said, impressed by the Predacon's sudden and bold proclamation as Rattrap nodded.

"I hereby challenge _you,_ Optimus Primal, to a one-on-one battle," Dino-Bot challenged the Maximal commander, "The winner shall lead the Maximals, and the loser… shall be destroyed!"

"Ah, crap…" Logan said, knowing that this probably wouldn't end very well.

 _ **A/N: Hey, you guys, fanficmaster2.0 here, sorry I took so long, but I managed to complete this chapter just as the finale of Kamen Rider Zi-O ended. I will be informing you all that I will be adding the next chapter (hopefully) before Kamen Rider Zero-One starts. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This is me signing off!**_


	5. Chapter 0004

_**Chapter 0004: The Beast Wars of Time Begin! Part 5:**_

 _ **The Best Match of 2017!**_

On the stone bridge that led to the other mountain, Logan, Oliver, Zeke, Nikki, Aelita and the Maximals were met by the former Predacon velociraptor known as Dino-Bot. Apparently, this Predacon was waiting for them for a while as he guarded the other end of the bridge, with Optimus on the other side. At the sight of him, Aelita hid behind Logan, not liking his appearance and felt like he was going to hurt her. Logan tried to comfort her by holding her hand, with her practically crushing in the process as she held it tightly. As they and the others watched, Dino-Bot spoke up.

"Argh, face me, Optimus!" Dino-Bot demanded aggressively, "I, Dino-Bot, challenge you for the leadership of the Maximals! You and I, one-on-one! The winner shall be leader!"

"And for the loser, Dino-Bot?" Optimus questioned.

"Well…" Dino-Bot said before looking down the large deep gap below them, "It _is_ a _long_ way down…"

"Heh, no kidding…" Oliver said, looking down the chasm before being pulled back by Nikki.

"We just met this dude, and I already don't like him," Zeke said in a creeped-out voice.

"I believe that makes all of us, Zeke," Logan said, looking at Aelita who was shaking in fright.

"I don't want to fight you, Dino-Bot!" Optimus proclaimed.

"Yeah, so beat it, you over-sized turkey!" Zeke shouted out an insult before Nikki grabbed his ear and began twisting it, making him yell in pain.

"Shut it, Zeke!" She exclaimed in a whisper.

"None of you have a choice!" Dino-Bot hissed as he and Optimus glared at each other, "The shortest route to the other mountain for you _and_ the humans is past this bridge, and no one crosses this bridge until you face me!"

As they debated, Logan could tell that Dino-Bot could be a potential threat. If he got his claws on Aelita, he could go after anyone who got in the way. Namely, Logan and his friends. Not to mention, Aelita could be used as a weapon, and Logan didn't want that for her.

"Wait a minute," Rhinox spoke up, showing his concern about the situation, "Don't we get a say in this?"

"Eh, let Chopper-Face and the Boss-Monkey duke it," Rattrap said, smacking Rhinox in the front leg, not wanting to deal with anymore fights today, "No fur off of my tail."

"There's no fur on your tail, _period,_ Rattrap," Oliver pointed out, "FYI, you're acting more like a jackass than a rat."

"Watch it, kid!" Rattrap snapped at that remark.

"Well, I say no way!" Cheetor exclaimed before pouncing to the edge of the bridge, "Hey, Scale-Belly! How about you try a piece of the bad kitty, huh?!"

"Cool your circuits, Cheetor!" Optimus ordered with a hand up in the air to keep him in place, not wanting this to end in violence, "I wouldn't send anyone to do anything I wasn't willing to do myself!"

"Oh yeah, right," Rattrap muttered, "Now he says that."

Optimus ignored the rodent and returned his attention to Dino-Bot, continuing the argument, "Ugh, this is foolish, Dino-Bot! We are Maximals, _you_ are a Predacon!"

"All the more reason I should lead then," Dino-Bot said stubbornly.

"Look, I don't know what happened between you and Megatron, but-" Optimus began to say before being cut off by the former Predacon.

"Megatron?!" Dino-Bot snapped in anger, "Megatron will fall as soon as I have your Maximals at my command!"

Optimus then looked back at the Maximals and humans. The look was mostly towards Logan, Aelita and their friends. He knew that if this conversation did end up turning into a fight to the death, it involved him, his crew, and the raptor, but not them. He turned back towards the former Predacon and tried his best to reason with him.

"At least let the humans go, Dino-Bot," Optimus said, "None of them have anything to do with this."

Dino-Bot squinted his eyes towards the humans, making them cower a bit before he spoke up.

"Do you take me for a fool, Optimus?!" He snickered, clearly not fooled by the commander's ruse, "I've witnessed the battle between you and the Predacons. I've seen the boy's transformation into that armored warrior, and I know the white-haired girl is the Key!"

Logan and Aelita's eyes widened in shock. If he was following them for that long, it's possible Dino-Bot wouldn't just let them go. Logan drew his right arm outward to keep Aelita behind him, attempting to hide her from the velociraptor's line of sight

"If you think I'll just let them go, then you're sadly mistaken!" Dino-Bot hissed, making Aelita jump in terror.

"Logan, I'm scared," Aelita whimpered in fear, holding him tightly.

"Don't worry, Aelita," Logan said reassuringly, "I told you we won't let anything happen to you."

Optimus sighed in defeat. He was afraid Dino-Bot would find out about them and attempt to use them for whatever dastardly purposes he had in mind. At that, Optimus Primal knew the only way to get them safely across was to defeat Dino-Bot in one-on-one combat.

"You are welcome to join us as a Maximal, Dino-Bot," Optimus said before proclaiming, "But _you_ shall not lead!"

"I beg to differ," Dino-Bot said in a clever tone, "For, in anticipation of my new role as leader, I have already reprogrammed my activation code."

 _"Dino-Bot - **MAXIMIZE!"**_ Dino-Bot changed into his robot mode, with both blades ready to tear Optimus Primal to shreds.

"Very well, then," Optimus said before shouting his activation code, _"Optimus Primal - **MAXIMIZE!"**_

The commander changed to robot mode and got into a battle-ready stance, as did Dino-Bot. As a show of intimidation, Dino-Bot displayed his skills with his tail blades and spinning sword. Optimus showed no fear as he drew two blades of his own against the former Predacon. The others watched as they began to duke it out, with Aelita extremely worried.

"That's it, I'm going in there!" Cheetor yelled, ready to fight the Pred, _"Cheetor - **MAXI-!"**_

"Clamp it, Kitty!" Rattrap quickly slammed his paw on Cheeotr's mouth, preventing him from transforming, "Nailin' da' Choppa' from behind won't solve anythin'."

Rhinox then said, "Yeah, like it or not, we gotta let 'em finish."

Dino-Bot then charged at Optimus with his tail blades ready to hack him up, but Optimus dodged it by bending over, and as soon as Dino-Bot reached him, he stood back up, flipping the Predacon behind him onto his front side. Dino-Bot got up from that fall and charged back at Optimus before jumping up in the air and diving at him, spinning blades first. Optimus was quick to react by jumping out of the way, but the impact made fall onto his backside, making his foot slip on a piece of loose rocks that fell down into the gorge. The sight was hard for Logan and his friends to watch, but when they saw him still on the bridge, they sighed in relief.

"Ah, that was too close," Oliver said with his heart racing in excitement and fear.

Optimus looked back up at Dino-Bot who look back at him, ready to finish him. Optimus, however, quickly struck the raptor down with an uppercut, making him dizzy before falling onto the bridge face first.

"Haha!" Zeke cheered on, "One strike and he's out!"

"Don't let your hopes up, Zeke," Logan said before pointing at the Predacon, "Look!"

Optimus stood up and drew his blades, using one of them to raise Dino-Bot's head. His optics were still functioning, meaning he was still alive.

"Uh… I still live…!" Dino-Bot said waiting for the final blow, "Finish it!"

"That's not how we Maximals do things," Optimus said, putting away one his blades and reaching his hand out to the former Predacon, hoping he would still join them.

"Then… that…" Dino-Bot hissed, "Will have to CHANGE!"

Dino-Bot then fired green lasers from his optics at the Maximal commander, blinding him.

"ARGH!" Optimus tried to gain space between him and Dino-Bot, but his foot slipped, making him lose his balance.

"OPTIMUS!" Cheetor shouted in fear as Optimus fell off the bridge - making everyone's eyes widen in fear on the Maximal's side of the bridge - but managed to save himself by catching the ledge with his legs. The Maximals and human teens couldn't bear to watch as Dino-Bot approached the Maximal commander, afraid he might push Optimus off the ledge.

"Oh, no," Nikki said, covering her eyes in fear of the worst.

"I can't watch!" Zeke exclaimed, also cover his eyes in fright

"Why, you…" Logan seethed, having a feeling that this guy was a dirty fighter as he was right above Optimus…

To everyone's surprise, the former Pred helped Optimus back up onto the bridge.

"What the hell?" Oliver said with a quirked brow, confused as to what just happened.

'Why did he save Optimus?' Logan asked in his head, just as stumped as the others, 'He could've won by pushing Optimus off the ledge, but he saved him.'

Optimus was just as shocked at the velociraptor's sudden action as he looked up at him.

"Uh… what are you doing?" Optimus groaned, "You've won."

"Rrr, you slipped," Dino-Bot clarified, "To defeat you in such a manner would be lacking in honor. I would not earn the right to lead in doing so."

The Maximals did not expect him to say such a thing. Apparently, unlike Megatron and his crew, Dino-Bot seemed to have a sense of honor that was shown via trial by combat. Optimus and Logan's view on this guy began to change; at first they thought he was no better than Megatron and his crew, but in fact, the opposite is true: Dino-Bot had virtues that only a Maximal could have, making the two doubt he even _was_ a Predacon.

Of course, that didn't last long as Dino-Bot said, "Besides, I prefer to finish my opponents the old-fashioned way…"

Dino-Bot's sword then sparked with power, with the blades spinning faster than before

"BRUTALLY!"

The fight continued as the two Maximals engaged each other, blocking and dodging each other's attacks. Logan was surveying the fight, observing the two robots' fighting styles. Optimus seemed to rely on his brute strength and wits, like an MMA fighter in the ring. As for Dino-Bot, he had the advantage with two lethal weapons in hand, and his fighting style told Logan he was more experienced than one would think. But his reliance on his weapons meant he was more accustomed to using them rather than his fists.

"Come on, Optimus…" Logan said, hoping the Maximal leader would not give in.

After a while, Dino-Bot was about to bring down what would've been the final blow, but Optimus blocked his weapons before they stared each other down.

"Ugh! For a Predacon, Dino-Bot, you have qualities I would like!" Optimus broke the silence with a compliment.

"And you have proved to be a worthy adversary!" Din-Bot said with a half-smirk, "I will have you recycled with full honors!"

"Well… that's… just… PRIME!" Optimus exclaimed as they continued their fight.

As they fought, the Maximals and humans didn't notice they were being watched from a distance by Megatron and his Predacon crew on a nearby cliff. Once they saw the confrontation, Dino-Bot was the first thing for Megatron to notice. He wondered how he got here, but then remembered that he and his crew left their ship unguarded. Megatron thought that Dino-Bot must've used the GroundBrige to get here. The Predacon commander then smiled wickedly, knowing that Optimus and Dino-Bot fighting each other would make the perfect chance for him and his Predacons to destroy them.

"Well, this is an interesting sight, yess…" Megatron said with a smirk, "Optimus and the traitor, Dino-Bot, engaged in battle."

"Uh, who do you think is gonna win?" Scorponok said, glancing at the duel.

"Ooh, Wazzpinator bet on Optimuzz!" Waspinator buzzed excitedly.

"Hahaha, the winner isn't what interests me!" Tarantulas laughed coldly.

"Nor me, noo…" Megatron said in agreement, a wicked thought going through his head, "How much more… _preferable_ it would be if they both lost. Yess…"

 _"Megatron - **TERRORIZE!"**_

 _"Terrorsaur - **TERRORIZE!"**_

 _"Tarantulas - **TERRORIZE!"**_

 _"Wazzpinator - **TERRORIZZZE!"**_

 _"Scorponok - **TERRORIZE!"**_

The Predacons transformed, however, due to their loud announcements, they caught the attention of _one_ particular rodent. Rattrap turned in their direction and his eyes widened in fear as he saw them readying their long-range weapons.

"Yo, head up!" Rattrap exclaimed, catching the others' attention, "Shift your scanners due East there, pals!"

"Something wrong, Rat Man?" Oliver asked with a quirked brow.

"Something wrong?! I'll say there's something wrong!" Rattrap yelled, pointing in the direction of the Predacons, "This party's got big-time crashers!"

Everyone except the two duelers turned in that direction and saw the Predacons were ready to fire.

"Oh, no, not them again!" Zeke said in worry.

"FIRE!" Megatron shouted out his order, and his crew obliged by firing a great number of shots at Optimus and Dino-Bot.

"OPTIMUS!" Cheetor yelled, trying to warn Optimus.

"LOOK OUT!" Logan also shouted to warn the commander.

Optimus heard them and looked in the Predacons' direction, seeing the missiles.

 _ **"BEAST MODE!"**_ Optimus changed back to a gorilla and ducked under the bridge, practically falling alongside Dino-Bot.

"OPTIMUS!" Cheetor shouted in panic and disbelief, running to the ledge of the bridge. He couldn't see either Optimus nor Dino-Bot.

"If you guys aren't doing anything…!" Cheetor heard Optimus' voice before looking down further, seeing the commander literally just hanging by a foot, holding Dino-Bot by the leg. Everyone saw them and all sighed in relief, but this was no time to celebrate.

"A little speed would be Prime!" Optimus said bluntly as the ledge he was holding started crumbling.

"We're coming, Optimus!" Logan exclaimed running to the center of the bridge to fend off the Preds.

"Logan, no!" Oliver exclaimed in shock.

"Logan!" Aelita shouted in fright.

Megatron saw one of the humans running to the center of the bridge before stopping. He then saw that it was Logan, the very flesh bag that insulted him earlier.

"Ah, the flesh bag is here as well," Megatron smirked deviously, continuing to fire at them, "Make them fall, yess…!"

As they fired, Logan summoned his own weapon prepared to fire back, "Take this, uglies!"

Logan fired at the Preds, though it proved to be difficult given that they were quite a distance away, making Megatron say, "That trick won't work twice, organic filth!"

Aelita saw Logan being bold as he dodged the attacks. She was worried the Predacons might actually kill him, Optimus and Dino-Bot, and it was all because they wanted her… that's when an idea popped up in her head. If she was important to Megatron, then he wouldn't dare fire at her. So she ran to the bridge, shocking the Maximals before standing in front of Logan, arms extended in a defensive stance. Megatron saw her and his optics widen before he stopped firing, not wanting to damage the Key.

"Predacons, ceasefire! Now!" Megatron ordered, making his crew stop, "You'll hit the Key!"

Logan looked at Aelita in shock and disbelief. What was going through her mind?!

"Aelita, what are you doing?" Logan asked in shock, not wanting his new friend to get hurt, "Go back to the others, now!"

"I won't move!" Aelita exclaimed in determination, "I know how important I am, and I know Megatron won't risk shooting me."

"Besides, this is the only way I know how to help and not be a burden to Logan, to you, or to anyone else!" Aelita said, surprising Logan. He didn't know she would say such a thing.

"They're in trouble! Let's go!" Cheetor said before transforming _"Cheetor - **MAXIMIZE!"**_

 _"Rhinox - **MAXIMIZE!"**_

After they both changed, Oliver tapped Rattrap's shoulder, wondering why he wasn't changing for battle.

"'Ey, 'ey, 'ey! You go and get yourselves scrapped, cuz I ain't-!" Rattrap was cut off by Rhinox grabbing the rodent by the throat, making him gulp in fright of the large Maximal's strength and at the look he made that was saying 'DO IT!', "Alright, alright…"

"AAHHH! THE ENERGON FIELDS…!" Dino-Bot yelled in pain as he began shorting out from the energon build-up, "ARGH…! I'M… SHORTING OUT!"

"Hang on, Dino-Bot!" Optimus knew this wasn't good, "You can't transform in this position!"

"Release me!" Dino-Bot said, not caring if he died as long as his death was honorable, "Let me fall, and save yourself!"

"Now where's the honor in that?!" Optimus asked, straining from holding onto the cliff and the ex-Predacon. Just then, Optimus lost his grip, and they both began falling before someone grabbed him by the leg. Optimus looked up and saw Rhinox holding onto him while Rattrap, Cheetor and Logan provided cover fire.

"Rhinox!" Optimus said with a smirk.

"Going up!" Rhinox said, hoisting up the commander and ex-Pred.

Megatron was now seething with rage as the Maximals fired at them while the humans crossed the bridge to safety and Dino-Bot converted back to raptor mode. He had them in their line of fire, but couldn't fire back, for the risk of hitting the Key was still present. However, Waspinator then saw that the Maximals were vulnerable, so without Megatron's permission, Waspinator fired a barrage of missiles. That shocked Megatron, but not as much as the Maximals. Once they saw the missiles, they ducked. Most of them missed, thankfully, but one hit the Maximals' side of the bridge, making start to collapse.

"Everyone, head to the other side!" Logan shouted as they all started running to the other side of the bridge, with Rattrap in the back. Most of them managed to get across safely, but Rattrap was too slow as he lost his footing and began falling. He would've gone offline and the bottom of the gorge, but Optimus managed to grab his hand just in time.

"Your welcome," Optimus said with a smirk.

"Eh, you're the leader," Rattrap said, not admitting he was stubborn, "It's your job."

"You incompetent imbecile!" Megatron exclaimed, angry with the insect, "Do you have any idea what you nearly did?!"

"Megatron!" Scorponok said, catching his master's attention and gestured to the missiles that missed the Maximals were heading to another mountain nearby, "Look, the missiles!"

Megatron saw the missiles hit the mountain, making the outer shell crumble, revealing something that made him gasp in shock and awe: an energon crystal the size of a small mountain.

"Energon!" He said in awe, the thirst for power clear in his voice, "Raw, natural energon crystals, yess… I knew they were here."

Before he could admire the crystal even further, everyone was shorting out from energon build-up,

"Argh!" Megatron grunted, "Quickly, return to Beast Mode!"

As the Preds all changed back, so did the Maximals, preventing energon field build-up. Everyone with the Maximals all saw the mountain revealing the energon crystal. The sight both shocked and amazed them/

"Raw energon, in its natural crystallized form," Optimus said in awe.

"So that's energon, huh?" Logan said, admiring the sight of the crystal.

"It's beautiful," Aelita said with a smile in admiration.

"So much for not having that much energon in one place, especially a crystal _that_ size," Oliver said, looking at Rattrap who just rolled his eyes in response.

"Does all energon look like that?" Zeke asked in curiosity.

"Most, yes," Optimus nodded, "Although, due to specific effects of a planet's environment, energon can be found also as both a gas and liquid. But the solid crystals are more valuable, because they can be easily harvested into energon cubes."

"Seriously?" Zeke said in awe.

"Seriously," Optimus confirmed before making a look, "But energon in its solid form is a double-edged sword. It's very unstable in that state, so we were lucky the missiles didn't cause it to explode."

"If you can call it 'lucky'," Rhinox said bluntly.

Cheetor's attention towards the crystal was soon caught by something moving towards it, "Rrowl! Hey, check it, Big-Bot!"

The Maximals all looked where Cheetor was looking and saw that the Predacons were heading for the large crystal.

"He's after the energon," Dino-Bot said, resting on a rock, "A crystal that size would make him unstoppable."

"Oh, thanks there for givin' us that lil' info," Rattrap said sarcastically before looking at Rhinox, "Rhinox, scrap this guy."

"For once, we agree, Ratso," Zeke said as he climbed on top of Rhinox before they charged right at him. However, the charge was stopped by Optimus sticking an arm out in front of them.

"Wait!" Optimus ordered before looking at Dino-Bot and asking, "Will he send flyers?"

"Oh, for bootin' up cold!" Rattrap complained, not liking what the commander was doing, "Ya ain't gonna ask help from a Predacon are ya?"

"That's my call," Optimus reminded the rodent Maximal before turning back to Dino-Bot, "Will he?"

"Er, negative," Dino-Bot assured the commander with a pained groan, "The crystal is too large and heavy for the flyers to carry. Only Tarantulas has the tools to segment it."

"Then we've got to get there first and stop him," Optimus ordered, "All _five_ of us."

"Hehe, yeah! Ya hear that? All five of…" Rattrap began to say before realizing what his commander just said, "Aye, wait! Ya mean Choppa-Face is comin' with…?! We're all gonna die…"

Before they left, however, Optimus approached and lowered himself down to Logan. Seeing the concerned look on his face, Logan knew this couldn't be good.

"Logan, I know I have no right to ask you for a favor, especially since I told you not get involved with our affairs, but you and your friends are the only ones I trust who can do this," Optimus said, confusing the teens.

"I want you all to protect Aelita," Optimus said, surprising them all.

"If we don't return from this battle against Megatron, I want all of you to keep her safe and hidden, understand?" Optimus asked, knowing they couldn't take Aelita with them, for there was the risk of Megatron taking her away. Logan and his friends all looked at each other before huddling up, discussing what they should do. After a minute or so, Logan responded.

"You can count on us, Optimus," He said with a nod, "We'll keep her safe at all times!"

Optimus nodded with a smile as he and the Maximals all started to head out to the mountain. Rattrap groaned in a complaint about this - especially since there was an ex-Pred going with them - but knew he would probably end up getting slagged if he didn't come along. He sighed in defeat before catching up to his fellow Maximals. Logan, Aelita and the others watched the Maximals made their way to the nearby mountain, hoping they would make it before the Preds do. Logan noticed Aelita making a concerned look, so he spoke up.

"It's alright, Aelita," Logan said reassuringly, "They'll be back…"

"How can you be so sure?" Aelita asked with concern in her voice.

"Because… I have a feeling telling me that things will work out in the end…" Logan said with a smirk before turning to the others, "Let's get back to camp quickly. Before it gets dark."

"Right!" Oliver, Zeke and Nikki nodded in unison before continuing their way to the first Twin Fang Mountain.

Meanwhile, the Predacons were quickly trekking through open fields to the energon crystal. Megatron looked at the crystal and snickered deviously.

"So much energon…" He said, clearly excited about this new development as he looked back at his crew, "With a crystal that size, the Predacon forces will be unstoppable… yess… the Maximals… then the _Galaxy_ will be _ours_ to conquer!"

The Predacons continued to traverse to the mountain, unaware they were being watched. A shadowy figure with glowing violet eyes watched them from far behind the rocks. He actually had been watching them since the battle they had with the Maximals earlier today, and had been intrigued by the sight.

 _"Interesting…"_ He said before returning to the shadows, still watching them all from a distance.

* * *

 _Que "Be the One" by Pandora!_

* * *

 _Kono mama Aruki tsuzuketeiru! Kon'ya mo maasugu! Hitori no ashiato tadotte..._

 _Hateshinai, dakedo kimi dake wa! Dokoka de matteru! Egao tayasazuni..._

 _There you will..._

 _Be The One, Be The One!_

 _All right! Ashita no chikyū o nakidasenai kara!_

 _Be The Lights, Be The Lights!_

 _All right! Tsuyoku nareru yo Ai wa makenai!_

 _Nanika wo tasukete sukutte dakishime! Kokoro ni furete todoku yo, tsutaware!_

 _Be The One, Be The Lights!_

 _Message, Okoru yo hibiku yo!_

* * *

 _ **THE CAMPSITE; 7:17 P.M.**_

* * *

A few more hours have past, and Logan's group finally made it back to camp. The first thing they did before approaching it was checking if either the monster, Tsukuyomi or Kamen Rider Geiz was nearby. Aelita was curious about them and asked Logan about them. He told her not to worry about it and that he'll explain it in the morning. After a thorough check of the site, no one found anything as to the whereabouts of Tsukuyomi, Geiz and the monster, making them all sigh in relief.

The next thing they did was grab any food they brought with them and start eating. Lucky for them, they brought some hot dogs, marshmallows and popcorn. They started up the fire and started cooking the food, which got Aelita curious as to what they were doing, as if she had never eaten before. After the food was cooked, the friends started eating, and Nikki gave Aelita a hot dog - just in time too since her stomach started growling - to try it. She saw how everyone else was eating and decided to try for herself as she bit down on the meat. The taste of the hot dog felt heavenly in Aelita's mouth as she swallowed it. Everyone saw her reaction and started laughing before she started having some other foods that humans ate. After a while though, they stopped the fire as Logan spoke up.

"Alright, it's good we're all back at camp," He began, "In the morning, we'll have to head back down the mountain and go straight home! Sound good to anyone else?"

"Yes!" Oliver, Nikki and Zeke said in unison as they all started heading to their respective tents.

"Good, now goodnight," Logan said in exhaustion before noticing Aleita stand by him, making him curious, "Something wrong, Aelita?"

"Can I spend the night with you, Logan?" She asked, making him blush madly.

"Uh…" He stuttered before Nikki popped and gently grabbed Aelita by the arm.

"You know what, Aelita, you and I should share a tent," She suggested, knowing Logan wasn't going to be comfortable spending the night with a girl in the same tent, "I think Logan here needs some time to be alone."

'Thank you, Nikki,' Logan said mentally before noticing the disappointed look on her face.

"Don't worry, Aelita," Logan said with a smirk before yawning, "It's just for the night. I'll see you in the morning."

"O-okay," She said before she and Nikki went to her tent. Oliver and Zeke also went to the tent they shared to spend the night as Logan called out to them.

"Goodnight guys!" He called out.

"Goodnight!" Everyone replied as Logan got into his tent and covered himself up with his sleeping bag. He couldn't sleep however; he started thinking about everything that went down in the past day and a half from learning about his future to meeting the Maximals. It was all so much for him to handle, so he decided to look at the locket watch his uncle gave him.

"Well, Mom and Dad…" He began quietly, "First time I actually try to reach up to heaven to find you guys, and the trip turned south to hell real fast. First, me being a tyrant in the future, then a monster and a Kamen Rider chasing after me, and now alien robots waging war on Earth, with my friends and I getting caught in the middle of it all. What do you suppose is gonna happen next?"

Logan sighed before drifting off to sleep, not knowing he and his friends would be on their next adventure much sooner than he thought.

* * *

 _ **MILES AWAY; 11:34 P.M.**_

* * *

The Maximals were on a mountain's cliffside, hoping to get to the crystal by dawn. They couldn't allow Megatron to get his cold hands on the energon, and just as importantly, Optimus couldn't let any more humans know what was going on. There would most likely be panic if any more people knew about them, especially if Megatron gets a hold of so much energon. Nevertheless, the Maximals pushed forward, hoping to beat Preds there. Just then, Optimus thought of Logan and the others… wondering how they would be able to take care of Aelita if they never came back.

"How you feeling?" Rhinox asked, snapping Optimus out of his thoughts.

"Improved," Optimus said, adjusting a few of his circuits, "I believe my internal repairs have been completed."

"Hm, good to know," Rhinox replied before a thought came to mind, "I was wondering… your flying robot form could make it the crystal before any of us, especially the Predacons."

Rhinox made a point, but Optimus said otherwise.

"No, Rhinox," He said in disagreement, "Splitting up is the last thing we want to do right now without knowing our surroundings; we have to stay together. The Predacons could attack at any moment, and there may be other surprises on this planet."

Just then, Rhinox saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see, which in turn surprised the more-intelligent Maximal.

"There are…" Rhinox replied, "Down there, look."

Optimus and the others looked down at where Rhinox was looking at. To their surprise, it seemed to be a stone structure, one that was definitely not natural to Earth. Optimus zoomed in towards the structure, and judging by the moss and the cracks covering the stones, he assumed it was built millions of years ago. But that's what stumped them.

"Hmm, unusual," Optimus said, scratching his chin in thought, "Any opinions?"

"Just one: it _isn't_ natural," Rhinox clarified, "We didn't build it, and neither did the Predacons. And I have a sneaking suspicion the humans didn't make it either."

Just then, Cheetor's scanners went off and saw two bogies up in the sky heading their way.

"Rwar!" The scout growled, warning the Maximals, "Heads up!"

The Maximals all looked in the direction of the bogies. Optimus noticed two objects flying around in the sky before squinting his eyes. At that moment he knew who they were: Waspinator and Terrorsaur, most likely there to ambush the Maximals and slow them down.

 _"Wazzpinator - **TERRORIZZZE!"**_

 _"Terrorsaur - **TERRORIZE!"**_

The two Predacons changed forms and dove towards the Maximals. The Maximal crew then changed to robot mode to fight them off, starting with Dino-Bot, then Optimus Primal, Rhinox, Cheetor, and Rattrap. The Maximals readied their blasters to fight off the Preds.

"Defensive positions, Maximals!" Optimus ordered.

"Eh, what about him?" Rattrap asked, aiming his blaster at Dino-Bot.

"He's with _us!"_ Optimus reminded the rat.

"Yeah, I ain't buyin' it just cuz you say so!" Rattrap said with skepticism before Terrorsaur and Waspinator started firing at the Maximals, who then returned fire.

Down in the rural district of Divinity city, Rose was looking out the window at the mountains, wondering how Logan and his friends were doing as her uncle Robert was closing up shop for the night and preparing ingredients for dinner. Just then, Rose saw the firepower from both the Maximals and Predacons, only she thought they were fireworks, which confused her.

"Fireworks?" She said with a quirked brow, catching Robert's attention, "Up in the mountains during the summer?"

Robert approached the window, standing next to Rose as he witnessed the "fireworks".

"Well, that certainly is a fire hazard," He stated, "You don't think the boys would bring fireworks up the mountain, do you?"

"Nah, it's probably just some weirdo that doesn't care about the law," Rose said, knowing her brother and his friends wouldn't anything so stupid, "Besides, it's a long way from their campsite."

"Heh, you're right," Robert chuckled, "There are probably other campers up there as well."

"Yeah," Rose smirked, but couldn't help but feel worried for her brother and his friends.

Meanwhile, as the Maximals were duking it out with the two Preds, they tried to aim their shots at the two fliers carefully, but these two dodged them with relative ease. They swung themselves away from the cliff of the Maximals so they could swing back around and fired at them again. The Maximals tried to fire at them, but Optimus then noticed the cliff was crumbling a bit, most likely from the sound of the shots. If they didn't stop firing, they could cause a rockslide, and the same thing would happen if they allowed themselves to be open themselves up to fliers' attacks.

"Hold your fire!" The commander ordered, in which the Maximals obliged, "We could start an avalanche!"

"Have you crossed your wires?!" Rattrap exclaimed in shock before pointing at Terrorsaur and Waspinator out in the distance, "They're coming back!"

Optimus then looked to where Rattrap was pointing. He knew this wasn't good, so he had to find a way to deal with the two Preds without causing an avalanche. The Maximals and cursed under their breaths before Optimus spoke up.

"I'll handle this!" He said before activating his jet boosters and started flying off the cliff and into the night sky, to fight off the Predacons on their turf. The gorilla bot then activated a pair of shoulder cannons from his wrist computer. Just then, Terrorsaur and Waspinator started shorting out as they tried to fire at Optimus. Their shots missed the Maximal commander, so he decided to return the favor and fired two missiles from his shoulder cannons. The missile passed the two Predacons and exploded, making them lose their balance in the air. As they regained their balance and mobility, the two Preds decided now was a good time to retreat. Optimus then attempted to follow them while Dino-Bot saw the two Preds being vulnerable.

"NOW, WHILE THEY ARE WEAK!" The ex-Predacon shouted as he fired his green eye lasers. Unfortunately, he missed the Predacons and was accidentally hitting the stalactites above the Maximals, making a large rock come loose just above Rhinox. Rhinox noticed the boulder and jumped out of the way before it crushed him before glaring at Dino-Bot.

"Uh, I knew it, ya traitor!" Rattrap approached the Predacon in anger, knowing he was up to no good, "Ya tried to scrap my pal!"

Rattrap then tackled Dino-Bot to the ground before standing back up. He kept his foot on the raptor's chest to keep him from moving before pointing his blaster right onto his forehead.

"Once a Pred, always a Pred!" Rattrap seethed, ready to finish off Dino-Bot.

"Ease off, Rattrap!" Optimus exclaimed as he landed and approached the rodent, catching his attention, "It was an accident!"

"Says you!" Rattrap shot back in skepticism.

"That's right, says me!" Optimus said, getting in Rattrap's face, having up to here with the rodent's behavior, "You want to question my orders _ONE MORE TIME!?"_

"I… ugh…!" Rattrap was about to say something in response, but didn't, considering the situation. He sighed before muttering, "I don't trust Predacons."

Rattrap removed his foot from Dino-Bot's chest before ex-Pred removed the gun from his face. He then stood back up and glared down at Rattrap, and vice versa. Optimus knew these two were not going to cooperate with each other anytime soon, but right now, they didn't have the time for this. Megatron's got too much of a head start already.

"We've got enough trouble with Megatron's crew without fighting amongst ourselves!" Optimus reminded the two, "Now, come on!"

Optimus started walking to the mountain, followed by the Maximals. Rattrap stayed back for a while before muttering under his breath.

"No-good commander with his no-good Pred…" He said before following the Maximals, still glaring at Dino-Bot.

* * *

 _ **FIRST TWIN FANG MOUNTAIN; 7:47 A.M.**_

* * *

Nathan and Tsukuyomi were walking around the mountain, trying to see if they could find Logan and his friends. Nathan still blamed Tsukuyomi for aiding in Zi-O's escape. If they don't find Logan soon, the future will stay as it is, and Oma Zi-O will remain… permanently. The pushed forward, hoping to any clue as to where they could be.

"We haven't seen Zi-O or his friends since yesterday," Tsukuyomi broke the silence.

"I like to think the fall into the mountain finished them off," Nathan said coldly, "But I can still feel Oma Zi-O living on in 2068."

"Then it's best we find them as soon as possible," Tsukuyomi said before hearing a scream.

"AAAHH, HELP!"

The two jumped at the scream before running towards the source. They saw the same red and blue monster Logan defeated yesterday, capturing a hiker in a Fullbottle. Tsukuyomi and Gates knew what this creature was and those responsible for creating it.

"Another Rider," Nathan said coldly, "Most likely the Time Jackers are the ones behind this."

"They must be trying to overthrow Oma Zi-O," Tsukuyomi assumed before Nathan started walking away.

"Let's go," He said, knowing that he was here to kill Logan, not deal with the Time Jackers.

"Gates!" Tsukuyomi said in shock before clarifying, "We can't just let the Another Rider run amuck!"

Gates clenched his fists in frustration before reluctantly exclaiming, "Fine!"

Gates pulled out his Ridewatch and began his transformation.

 _ **Geiz!**_

 _"Henshin!"_ He said before spinning his belt and changing into his Rider form.

 _ **Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Geiz!**_

Geiz then charged at the monster to finish it off.

* * *

 _ **THE CAMPSITE; 8:01 A.M.**_

* * *

Logan's eyes fluttered open as he woke himself up. He sat himself up before rubbing his eyes before Oliver called out.

"Logan, you up?" His best friend asked.

"Yeah, I'm up," Logan replied with a yawn before noticing a large object in his sleeping bag. Being curious, he removed the cover and laying down right next to him in a deep sleep. The sight of her startled Logan as he blushed madly; he thought about how long she had been there before letting out a freaked out scream.

"AAAAAHH!" Oliver and the others heard him scream and ran to his tent in worry.

"What's wrong?!" Oliver asked as he opened the tent. He then noticed Aelita sleeping next to Logan, who was blushing like mad and freaking out at the situation. Oliver smirked playfully at the situation before speaking up.

"Ooh, looks like someone's getting lucky," He joked, making Nikki and Zeke laugh, and Logan glare at him in response.

"Shut up!" Logan exclaimed before hearing Aelita moaning, most likely indicating she was waking up.

"Mm?" She mumbled as her eyes fluttered open, awake as the day is long. Logan couldn't help but admire how beautiful her eyes were, but now was not the time. They had to get home soon.

"Uh, good morning, Aelita," Logan greeted her, his blush still visible.

"Good morning, Logan," She said as she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up.

"Well, if your done failing to keep yourself cool, we better get pack up, man," Oliver said, "Optimus says we need to protect Aelita, and in order to do that, we have to get off the mountain as soon as we can."

"Roger that, Oliver," Logan replied as he walked out of the tent, followed by Aelita, "Everyone start packing!"

"I wouldn't do that quite yet, My King," A familiar voice spoke out of nowhere, startling, Logan yet again.

"AAAHH!" Logan shouted in shock, startling everyone. He turned to the source of the voice and saw Woz standing there.

"Oh, Woz, that's twice now!" Logan said with a glare, trying to control his breathing after the startle.

"Forgive me for my disturbance, My Liege," Woz spoke up apologetically before noticing Aelita looking at him a creeped-out look, "Who is this girl here?"

Aelita was a little frightened by the man's appearance before Logan stood in front of her said, "Her name's Aelita, what's it to you?"

"Hm… strange," Woz said in disbelief before looking through his book, "There is no mention of a girl named 'Aelita' anywhere in this book, Your Majesty."

That sentence got Logan and his friends curious as he asked a question.

"Really?" Logan said with a skeptic look, "Then what about the Maximals and Predacons, are they in your little book?"

Woz turned the pages of his book, only to see very little mentionings and depictions of the Maximals and Predacons.

"Only minor details of them," He replied with a baffled look, "It's as if you didn't want to remember them."

"Tch, as if we're ever gonna forget giant mechanical robots that transform into animals!" Zeke ranted, only for the others to roll their eyes at him before Logan decided to be straight forward.

"So why are you here, Woz?" He asked bluntly, knowing Woz wouldn't be here unless it was something important, "We're a little busy at the moment."

"I forgot to mention something yesterday," Woz explained himself, "It was about that monster you faced."

"The red and blue, bug-eyed monster that shot basketballs at me?" Logan asked, confusing Aelita.

"Precisely," Woz answered, "It seems that Kamen Rider Build is trying to overthrow you."

"Kamen Rider Build?" Logan said, knowing that he heard the name somewhere before.

"I'm sorry, but…" Oliver interrupted them, "Kamen Rider?"

"What's a Kamen Rider?" Nikki asked, with all of Logan's friends just as curious. Just then, Logan began remembering everything from that afternoon on Friday. He was stranded in the middle of November 2017, where and when he met Kamen Riders Build and Cross-Z, aka Tobias Franklin and Angus Drake. He then remembered how similar the monster looked compared to Build, only evil and mutated. There was no way that could've been Tobias.

"There's no way that thing was Build!" Logan said in denial, with his friends annoyed that he didn't answer the question, "I mean, it was similar to him, but it wasn't him."

"Ah, yes," Woz replied with a smirk, "I guess it would be more accurate to call him 'Another Rider Build'."

"Another Rider Build?" Logan and the others quirked a brow in confusion.

"An Another Rider is the monstrous counterpart of a Kamen Rider that takes their abilities and memories, and wipes them from the history books," Wz explained, shocking the group, "They are created by the Time Jackers."

"Time Jackers?" Logan echoed before asking, "Who are they?"

"A group of time travelers hellbent on making their own king to replace you, My Liege," Woz explained, surprising everyone.

"So _everyone's_ trying to change history?!" Logan asked in shock.

"Yes, and as we speak…" Woz looked through his book as he spoke, "Kamen Rider Geiz and Tsukuyomi are locked in battle with Another Build."

"What?!" Logan said in shock once more.

"You have a choice, My King," Woz said as he began walking away, "Either leave Geiz and Tsukuyomi to their fate, or go and save them. I will not choose for you. Goodbye for now."

"Wait, what about-?!" Logan began to ask Woz about Tobias and Angus as he followed him through some trees he passed, only to discover he was gone again, "Ugh!"

"I don't like him," Aelita said timidly.

"Yeah… neither do we," Oliver said in an uneasy tone.

"So Nathan and Tsukuyomi are in trouble?" Logan said as he looked down the mountain to see a commotion going on down there. It was probably Geiz and Tsukuyomi.

"Well, I say good riddance," Zeke said snobbishly, earning looks from the others, "Hey, that Geiz fella tried to kill us, remember? I prefer to just let him handle it."

"Yeah, let's go, guys," Nikki said as they began packing up before seeing Logan still standing by the cliff, "Logan?"

"They're in trouble," Logan said, feeling it was his duty to help people, whether they like it or not, "I have to help them."

"Dude, you're not serious, are you?!" Zeke asked before Logan jumped down off the cliff and changed into Kamen Rider Zi-O and landed in some bushes down below that broke his fall. The friends approached the cliff and looked down to see his head in Geiz and Tsukuyomi's direction.

"He's serious!" Nikki exclaimed as they entered their vehicles.

"When is he ever not?!" Oliver asked rhetorically before they all started up their rides and heading down the path to find Logan, Nathan and Tsukuyomi.

Back with Geiz and Tsukuyomi, they were fighting off the Another Rider as best as they could. Tsukuyomi fired some shots at it to distract as Geiz tackled to the ground. They both got up and Geiz started punching it. It tried to block the punches, but Another Build seemed to be too slow as Geiz then sent it flying with a back kick, sending it flying and destroying it midair. Geiz sighed, thinking he was done, but that was before he and Tsukuyomi heard more growling from behind the bushes. The duo turned to the bushes and saw Another Build emerge from them… alive!

"What the?!" Geiz said in shock and disbelief.

"It's back?!" Tsukuyomi said in equal shock.

Geiz stared at it in shock, but knew this was no time for gawking, so charged to attack the Another Rider again. This time, however, the Another Rider proved to be more resilient than before as Geiz tried to hit it, but the attacks wound up getting dodged or blocked. Geiz was punched in the chest before getting a front snap kick to his abdomen, sending him reeling and falling onto his backside.

"Gates!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed in panic as she ran to Geiz to help him up, "How'd he get so strong all of a sudden?!"

Just then, the Another Rider summoned three baseballs made of unknown energy before throwing them at the duo. The two braced for the worst to happen…

"Oh, no you don't!" A familiar voice shouted before Zi-O combat rolled in front of the Geiz and Tsukuyomi, sword in hand.

 _ **Ken!**_

Logan swung his blade, destroying two of the baseballs before getting into a batter's stance.

"Batter up!" He exclaimed before swinging the blade flat end first at the ball, sending it back to its pitcher in a very painful manner.

"Oma Zi-O?!" Geiz said in shock as the other Rider turned to face them, figuring Logan only saved them to finish them off himself.

"You guys alright?" Zi-O asked in concern, proving him wrong.

"Huh?" Geiz and Tsukuyomi said in surprise. Why would a future tyrant be concerned for them? Just then, the Another Rider growled as he stood up, ready to attack again. Logan noticed this and knew this was no time for chitchat.

"Talk later," He said as faced off against Another Build again, "Guys, take care of Nathan and Tsukuyomi!"

As soon as he said that, Logan's friends showed up out from the bushes and approached Geiz and Tsukuyomi to help them out… reluctantly…

"You alright, man?!" Oliver said as he grabbed Geiz's arm and pulled him up to his feet, only for the Rider to swing his arm back, ripping it out of Oliver's grasp and pushing him back.

"Don't touch me!" Geiz yelled in cold anger, "Any friend of Oma Zi-O is no friend of mine…"

"Sheesh, talk about the cold shoulder," Oliver said, feeling insulted as Zeke and Nikki help Tsukuyomi to her feet.

"Is he really Oma Zi-O?" She asked with a quirked brow in confusion, making the others stare at her in equal confusion.

"What do you mean?" Aelita asked shyly, a little nervous being around new people.

"In the future, your friend is the most evil tyrant that ever lived," Tsukuyomi explained, making the new girl place her hand over her mouth, "But today, he doesn't seem at all like him."

"You don't know him like we do," Nikki said bluntly before remembering Aelita was there, too, "Or at least most of us."

"Yeah, Logan's not the kind who would force people to bow before him," Zeke said in agreement and denial, "He's the kind of guy who stands up for what's right. Although, we all try our best to avoid bullies in school."

"Really?" Tsukuyomi asked, receiving a nod before she and Geiz looked at Aelita, knowing she wasn't with them before.

"And you are?" Geiz asked coldly, making Aelita nervous,

"A-Aelita…" responded timidly, not liking Geiz's intimidating voice.

"We found her in the mountain yesterday, surprisingly," Zeke bluntly explained.

"Surprisingly indeed," Oliver said as Logan pushed the monster back and did what Geiz did yesterday to begin his finisher and pressed the button on his Ridewatch.

 ** _FINISH TIME!_**

Just then, magenta Japanese symbols for the word "kick" surrounded the Another Rider, each spinning clockwise as Logan pressed the release button on the Driver.

 _キック = "Kick"_

Logan then jumped high into the air and spun the belt again for the finisher.

 _ **TIME BREAK!**_

The kick symbols then merged one-by-one before hitting Another Build from behind and merging with the bottom of Zi-O's right foot as he got into a dropkick position. Logan then kicked the Another Rider, defeating it again. He thought he was done before seeing it emerge from some bushes, making him stare at it in shock.

"It's back again?!" He said in shock and disbelief.

"Expect it to be stronger this time!" Tsukuyomi shouted out, "Whenever it's defeated, it comes back stronger than before."

"Really?!" Logan asked in shock before an idea popped into his head, one that involved two certain people: Tobias and Angus!

"Then something tells me we're going to need some brains on how to take him down!" Logan exclaimed before running past Tsukuyomi and Geiz to the girl's Time Majin, shocking them that he would just leave like that.

"Where are you going?!" Geiz asked in shock and anger.

"Trinity City to meet someone about this matter!" Logan shouted out his explanation as the cockpit opened for him, "Keep Another Build busy 'till I get back.

"Wait for us, man!" Oliver exclaimed as he, Aelita, and his friends followed him into the time machine, leaving Geiz and Tsukuyomi to deal with the Another Rider. As soon as they stepped in, they were all in awe.

"Is this the time machine you told us about?" Oliver asked, admiring the technological wonder.

"It sure is," Logan answered as he took hold of the controls, "And you might want to hold on, because I have no idea how to drive this thing."

"What?!" Everyone said in shock before Logan started flying the Time Majin to Trinity City, California. However, flying there proved to be difficult given that Logan had no idea how to fly it, so it was pretty much a bumpy ride. Luckily, they made it to Trinity City and to the Nascita cafe, in which they all entered, with Logan's friends feeling a bit dizzy from the flight.

"Tobias?! Angus?!" Logan called out, hoping his predecessors would help them, "You in here?!"

"Who exactly are we looking for that could be worth the rough ride here?" Zeke asked bluntly, hoping this wasn't a waste of time.

"Someone who could help us beat Another Build," Logan said remembering the secret entrance into their secret base, "The fridge!"

"What about it?" Oliver asked as Logan ran to the minifridge, confusing everyone.

"It's the secret entrance to their secret-" Logan said as he opened it, only to find no entrance, just a fridge full of food.

"Lab?!" He shouted in shock. He knew it was there on Friday, he was just there. Then again, almost a whole year had passed since then, so anything could've happened.

"You sure about that, Logan?" Nikki asked skeptically, thinking Logan might be going a bit nuts.

"It was just here!" Logan proclaimed before giving it some thought, "Then again, that was a year ago, and a lot could have changed since then…"

Just then, the cafe's door rang, making the group look in that direction and seeing two highschoolers dressed like a rock and roll band. Logan recognized them as Tobias Franklin and Angus Drake; Build and Cross-Z. Only something was different about them. Tobias, on the one hand, was wearing an eyepatch for some reason and had two mechanical legs and a robotic right arm, most likely as prosthetics. Logan assumed Tobias must've lost his arm in the past year. As for Angus, he looked a little thinner and less muscular than before. Apparently, a year is enough to get these two out of shape.

"Whoo-hoo!" Tobias whooped in excitement.

"Yeah!" Angus shouted out with a smile, "Linx is the bomb!"

"Time to factor in the equation for totes awesomeness, Angus!" Tobias said with thrill in his voice, confusing the group of friends.

"You said it, Tobes!" Angus exclaimed as the two high-fived.

"Ahem!" Logan cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"Hm?" The two said as they looked at the group in confusion. They knew they weren't expecting anyone today.

"Are these two suppose to be them?" Oliver asked skeptically.

"Yes, they are!" Logan said with a smile as he approached his predecessors, "Tobias, Angus, thank God we found you! We need your help!"

The duo looked at each other in confusion before staring back at Logan, with looks clearly telling the others they had no idea what they were talking about.

"Uh, who are you?" Tobias asked, confusing Logan, "And what are you doing in my uncle's restaurant?"

Logan was in disbelief; surely they would recognize him. Then again, it was a year since 2017, so…

"Uh, we met a year ago, remember?" Logan said, trying to remind them, "It's me, Logan Briggs. You know; Future Dude."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Angus shrugged, furtherly confusing Logan.

"What?" Logan said in more shock than disbelief, "But it was that time in November when it was snowing with the city under marshall law! And you two fought as vigilantes known as Build and Cross-Z! How could you forget that?!"

"Build?" Tobias echoed in confusion.

"Cross-Z?" Angus echoed in equal confusion. Surely, they would remember something like that, but they didn't.

"You sure these two are the right guys?" Nikki asked in skepticism, making Logan sigh in almost defeat,

Meanwhile, Geiz was about to defeat Another Build with his finisher as he pressed the button on his Ridewatch and slammed the release button with his fist.

 _ **FINISH TIME!**_

Geiz jumped high into the air as the yellow Japanese symbols for "Rider" and "kick" projected out towards the Another Rider.

 _らいだー = "Rider"_

 _きっく = "Kick"_

Geiz then spun the belt and dropped down at Another Build in a dropkick position.

 _ **TIME BURST!**_

Geiz hit the Another Rider and "destroyed" him once more before landing, exhausted from fighting off the Another Rider before changing back to Nathan Gates. Just as soon as he defeated the Another Rider, something in Tobias and Angus' pockets started glowing and humming as they reached into it to see what it was; they were blank Ridewatches.

"Hm?" Tobias said with a quirked brow.

"These things?" Angus said in confusion before they both noticed the shocked expression on Logan's face.

Just then, the Ridewatches changed from blanks to two colored watches, one being a blue Ridewatch with a red dial and button with the date labeled 2017 on the bottom and Kamen Rider Build's symbol on top, and the other being dark blue with an orange dial and button with the same date and Cross-Z's symbol on top. The sudden change of the watches shocked everyone who saw, especially Aelita who was curious

 _ **Cross-Z!**_

 _ **Build!**_

"Did… did they just change?" Oliver asked with a wide-open jaw, not sure if he was dreaming this time.

"Hm?" Tobias mumbled before looking up at Angus.

"Huh?" Angus muttered as he did the same with Tobias.

"AAAAAHHHH!" They screamed at each other's sight, startling the group of friends.

"Angus?!" Tobias said, not sure what Angus was wearing.

"Tobes?!" Angus exclaimed in disbelief as he scanned Tobias' weird outfit, "What the hell are you wearing?!"

"What the hell am _I_ wearing?!" Tobias exclaimed as he shot back the question, "What the hell are _you_ wearing?!"

Angus then looked at Tobias' arm, in which its sight shocked him.

"Your arm!" Angus said, making his best friend look at it, "It's no longer hi-tech! I mean, it's still hi-tech but not Cybertronian hi-tech!"

"What?!" Tobias said in shock as he observed the arm, confused as to how it could've gotten like this, "It's… it's reverted to standard Earth steel?!"

"Ahem!" The voices of Logan and his friends called out, catching their attention again.

"Wha-?" Tobias began before he and Angus looked at Logan, recognizing him.

"Future Dude!" Angus called out the nickname he gave Logan, making him sigh in relief.

"Logan Briggs," Tobias spoke, "Hadn't seen you since…"

Just then, memories from just about a year ago flowed back into his and Angus' minds. They remembered the Another Rider showing up out of nowhere, along with two other Riders, and them using two different Rider Armors to defeat it, and then the two of them finally losing their powers.

"Of course!" Tobias said remembering why they couldn't remember anything

"Tobias, Angus, we need your help!" Logan pleaded, hoping to get some help with Another Build, "There's an evil version of you out there and it keeps coming back every time we beat it! You need to-!"

"We can't," Tobias declined, cutting Logan off and making him stare at him in shock.

"What?!" He said with a stutter, "What do you mean? What about your belts?! Your weapons?! Your… awesome Rider Kicks?!"

Tobias sighed and looked at the Ridewatch in hand as he explained, "We lost our powers to that monster you're talking about. It took away our powers last year and scrambled our memories. We haven't been able to transform since."

"But we need your help!" Logan said, practically begging right now.

"Who said we weren't gonna help you?" Tobias asked rhetorically with a clever smirk.

"Huh?" Logan quirked a brow in confusion before Tobias grabbed his arm and placed the Ridewatch in his hand.

"I believe we should give these back…" Tobias said, perplexing Logan and the others, who all looked at him with questionable looks.

"Give these back?" Logan echoed, "I never gave them to you to begin with."

"Actually, technically, you did, bro," Angus said as he handed his Ridewatch over to him, causing more confusion before explaining, "Kamen Riders Build and Cross-Z have officially retired. It's up to you, Zi-O."

"Take care of our past selves for us," Tobias said with a smile.

That last sentence made even more confusion. Take care of their past selves? What does that even mean?

"Wha-?" Logan stuttered, "How did…"

Oliver groaned in annoyance before grabbing Logan by the shoulder and taking him out of the cafe. As they headed back to the Time Majin, Logan looked at the Ridewatches in curiosity, wondering how and why Tobias and Angus had them to begin with. However, he would have to think and walk at the same time, quickly since Geiz and Tsukuyomi couldn't fight off the Another Rider for long.

"Why would they give those watches 'back to you' if you never gave them to them?" Nikki spoke up as the cockpit of the ship opened, only to end up with a shrug in response as Zeke looked at the Ridewatches himself.

"Maybe the date can help us," Zeke said, confusing the group.

"The date?" Logan echoed.

"On the watches, they have the year 2017 on them," Zeke pointed out, in which they saw the dates.

"2017?" Logan read before asking, "Zeke, why would we need to know about…?"

Logan then cut himself off when it dawned on him. Another Build was first created in 2017, and Kamen Rider Build was born that same year, being replaced by said Another Rider. Woz did say the Time Jackers created them to steal Rider powers and change history. If that's true then there was only one way to defeat Another Build: go back to 2017 and defeat him then and there! No sooner and no later!

"Logan, you're making that 'I-think-I-know-what-to-do!' look," Oliver pointed out, seeing his best friend make that look before.

"That's because I think I know what to do!" Logan said excitedly before he ran into the Time Majin, followed by his friends and Aelita. They flew their way back to the Twin Fang Mountain - with a much smoother ride this time - and saw that Geiz and Tsukuyomi were keeping the Another Rider at bay with their blasters. Logan landed the Time Majin, exited it, and ran to them, about to inform them of how to beat Another Build.

"Nathan! Tsukuyomi!" Logan called out as he and his friends ran to the future duo.

"Oma Zi-O?" Nathan spoke up, glaring at the future demon king with restraint over his anger, "Where have you been?!"

"We went to see Build and Cross-Z," Logan explained, surprising them.

"Build and Cross-Z?" Tsukuyomi echoed.

"Yeah, and I think I figured out how to beat Another Build," Logan said as he handed the Cross-Z Ridewatch to Nathan, "We need to go back in time to 2017 and destroy him there. No sooner, no later."

"2017?" Nathan said as he saw the date on the Ridewatch, "The year Build and Cross-Z were born."

"Let's get going!" Logan proclaimed before turning to the future girl, "Tsukuyomi, you think you can hold it off here?"

"As much as possible," She replied with a nod.

"Good," Logan said with a determined look before facing Aelita, "Aelita, stay here with Tsukuyomi and hide!"

"But-!" Aelita tried to argue, but Logan cut her off.

"Great, now let's go!" He said as he and his friends went to the Time Majin, with Nathan heading to his own. He wasn't going to risk letting Aelita get hurt because of him, and knew it was too dangerous for her to come along. Logan prepared himself for the time travel sequence, hoping he would get it right on the first try as everyone braced themselves.

"Everyone ready?" Logan asked, grabbing the controls.

"You bet!" Oliver, Zeke and Nikki said in unison, determined to help their friend defeat this monster - and travel back in time for the first time.

"I am, too," Aelita's voice spoke up, making Logan's head pop up. He turned his head and saw Aelita standing behind him, which admittedly startled him at first before regaining his posture.

"Aelita?!" Logan said in shock, knowing she should be with Tsukuyomi, "I told you to stay with Tsukuyomi!"

"I'm going with you!" She argued before making that same puppy-dog look she did with Optimus yesterday, "Please?"

Logan sighed in defeat, knowing he couldn't deny a face like that, "Fine, but when we get to 2017, stay near the cockpit!"

Aelita smiled and nodded before bracing herself as Logan set the coordinates to Trinity City 2017, as did Nathan.

"Ready, Nathan?" Logan asked, ready to take off.

"As I'll ever be," The future Rider said before correcting the future king of time, "And it's Gates."

 _"Time travel sequence initiated!"_ The two Kamen Riders called out as they started hovering above the ground, _"Time-Space Lock-On!"_

"FYI, this is not going to feel pleasant for you guys," Logan warned his friends, making them look at him with concerned looks.

"What?" Oliver asked but Logan ignored the question.

 _"Time Majin, GO!"_ Logan and Gates then took off to the sky as a gateway through time and space opened up, through which they entered.

* * *

 _ **CENTRAL PARK; SKYLINE CITY, CALIFORNIA; 2017**_

* * *

Another Build was terrorizing the park in Skyline City, causing panic to everyone within the vicinity. The Guardians did their best to try and stop it, but the Another Rider proved to be a powerful adversary as it punched, kicked and threw balls at every single one of them. It appeared to be after two boys, one with a bag of swimming gear and the other with a bow a quiver on his back. The two tripped over a live sprinkler and landed on each other with the archer on top as Another Build grabbed two empty bottles and captured them, revealing a blue archery bottle and a green swimming bottle.

 _"Archery…! Swimming…!"_ Another said gleefully, _"Best Match!"_

As it terrorized the people, Tobias and Angus emerged from a yellow fifth generation Ford Mustang with black stripes and an emblem resembling an old man on the hub caps, wearing masks to hide their faces. Tobias' mask resembled that of a rabbit and tank combination while Angus' resembled a Japanese dragon. The duo approached the Another Rider from behind and looked at it in both surprise and curiosity.

"That's definitely not a Smash," Tobias pointed out, "Nor is it a Decepticon."

"It kinda looks like you, only uglier," Angus said before catching Another Build's attention with a whistle, "Yo, ugly, why don't you go drive yourself off a cliff!"

The Another Rider ignored that request as it stared at Angus in excitement.

 _"Me… Build…! You… Cross-Z…!"_ He said as he ran at Angus and _hugged_ him for some reason, _"BEST MATCH!"_

"AH!" Angus exclaimed shocked by the monster's sudden action before pushing it off of him, "GET OFF ME!"

Another Build stepped back and stared at the duo, feeling ready to take them out.

"That was weird!" Angus proclaimed with a shudder,

"Is it odd that I feel envious of him?" Tobias asked before ignoring his thoughts

"Enough talk, let's fight!" Angus declared as he and Tobias began their transformations.

 _ **Rabbit! Tank!**_

 _ **Best Match!**_

 _ **Wake Up!**_

 _ **Cross-Z Dragon!**_

 _ **Are You Ready?**_

 _"Henshin!"_ They called out as the Snap Rider Builders came together and changed them into Kamen Riders Build and Cross-Z.

 _ **Hagane no Moonsault! RabbitTank! YAY~!**_

 _ **Wake Up Burning! Get CROSS-Z DRAGON! YEAH!**_

Just as soon as they transformed, Angus slammed his fist into his palm and attacked Another Build, whilst Tobias felt a little off and examined himself. It almost seemed that reality was fritzing out a bit before he returned to normal.

"Hm… That's odd," He said before shrugging it off and joining Angus in the battle. Build and Cross-Z threw a few punches at the Another Rider, but he seemed resilient to both them and the kicks the threw after those. Another Build then kicked back Cross-Z, and just before he could rejoin the fight, he started fritzing out, too.

"What the?!" He quirked a brow under his helmet before Another Build practically tossed Build at him, knocking them both to the ground.

"Argh!" Cross-Z grunted in a bit of pain as the fritzing continued, "Tobes, what's wrong with us?! It's like we're on the fritz!"

"That I wish I knew," Tobias admitted as observed the fritzing before Another Build grabbed his two new bottles.

 _"Archery…! Swimming…!"_ He seethed before throwing the bottles into his mouth and swallowing them, making his belt light up, _"Best Match!"_

Another Build rotated the crank on his belt before jumping up and diving into the ground, which suddenly changed into water for him. The got the Riders curious before Another Build shot up into the sky and summoned a bow and arrows made of energy and shot them at Build and Cross-Z before they could react, bringing them to their knees.

"I don't suppose you have a set of bottles perfect for this kind of job," Cross-Z suggested.

"I don't, I left them all at home!" Build said, making his partner look at him in shock.

"What?!" He yelled, "Why?!"

"We were in a rush, so I forgot to pick them up!" Tobias explained himself before he, Angus and Another Build heard something flying nearby. At first, they thought it was an airplane, but after looking at the source, they saw that it was actually the Time Majins flying through the air and landing in the park. The cockpits opened revealing Gates, Logan, and his friends who ran into nearby bushes and trash cans before making vomiting.

"Ugh!" Zeke groaned in disgust, "I don't feel so hot…"

"That makes two of us, Zeke," Oliver said in agreement.

"You'll get used to it!" Logan said before noticing Build and Cross-Z, and running to them, "Build! Cross-Z!"

"Logan Briggs?!" Tobias exclaimed as both he and Angus recognized him.

"Future Dude?!" Angus pointed at him before they ran towards him. However, they were suddenly stopped in their tracks as time was frozen by someone; that very young man who made a contract with Another Build who walked in front of Logan and Gates. Once Aelita saw him, she sensed some kind of dark aura surrounding him, which practically intimidated her as she stepped back a bit.

"Ah ah ah!" He spoke with a smirk, "I don't think so!"

"What the?!" Logan said in shock, "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'll give you a hint, foulmouth," The kid said playfully, "Woz told you about us dethroning you with our own king."

That made Logan's eyes widen in shock, for he knew what that meant, "You're a Time Jacker?!"

"Exactly!" The kid exclaimed excitedly before introducing himself, "Heure's the name! Time jacking's my game!"

"I can see that," Logan said as he glared at Another Build, "Why did you make a monster based off of Build?!"

"Because, Zi-O, you tend to get boring and dull with your old ways of being a demon king," Heure began explaining, "It's about time we shook things up a bit. So we decided to form contracts with people so they can gain the power of their Kamen Rider counterparts, turn them into Another Riders, and eventually, our new king!"

"And in the process, you take away some of the world's greatest heroes from history and wreak havoc on innocent people?!" Logan said with fire in his eyes, his friends clearly noticing how much this situation was ticking him off.

"That's right!" Heure said all giddy like, "Isn't changing history just great?!"

"NO!" Logan practically shouted, making Heure's smile fade, "It's not!"

"We can stop the hands of a clock and turn them back as much as we want…" He began saying what his great uncle Robert told him Friday night, "But that's just _not_ how life works."

Those words surprised everyone who was listening. Logan's friends never knew he had it in him to speak his mind like that; being both bold and wise at the same time. Gates on the other was shocked; Logan was clearly different than his future self, Oma Zi-O. Whereas Oma Zi-O is cold, cruel and evil, Logan in the other seemed to have a sense of justice. He was beginning to wonder if Logan was Oma Zi-O as Logan spoke up again.

"Don't you see?!" Logan exclaimed, "You can never make anything better if you keep doing things as horrible as this over and over! It has to come to an end! And I will make sure that when I become king, I won't make that same mistake, and protect all of history from the likes of you!"

"Whoa, nice speech," Zeke complimented as he and Nikki applauded their friend.

"That first part sounded like something his uncle would say," Oliver whispered to Aelita, who just quirked a brow in confusion.

"Hm…" Heure hummed in interest, "Interesting ideals, Zi-O… let's see if you can hang on to them…"

After finishing that sentence, the young Time Jacker walked off into the trees, leaving the group with his Another Build.

"Where are you going?" Logan asked, not finished talking to the Time Jacker.

"Wherever time takes me!" Heure told him before walking off, unusually fast for a human being, "Catch you later!"

As soon as Heure left, time started back up again, and Tobias and Angus could move again as Another Build glared at them in anger.

"I guess it's just us now, Nathan," Logan said as he got out his Ziku-Driver.

"Don't call me that," Gates seethed, also getting out his Driver.

"Let's go for it!" Logan said as he and Gates placed the belts on their waists and got out their Ridewatches.

 _ **Ziku-Driver!**_

The duo then spun the dials and activated the Ridewatches before inserting them into the belts…

 _ **Zi-O!**_

 _ **Geiz!**_

The two pressed the release button and summoned the two clock projections as they posed and began their transformations…

 _"Henshin!"_ The two called out as they spun the belts, changing int Kamen Riders Zi-O and Geiz.

 _ **Rider Time!**_

 _ **Kamen Rider~ Zi-O!**_

 _ **Kamen Rider~ Geiz!**_

The Japanese symbols for "Rider" launched out of the clocks before watchstraps surrounded them both, changing them into their Rider forms. The symbols then slammed into the visors of their helmets as they prepared for battle again, alongside Build and Cross-Z who stood beside them.

"Riders, together!" Zi-O called out, ready to fight against Another Build.

"Right!" They all said before charging at Another Build and attack him. Admittedly, this wasn't exactly a fair fight, but they all knew they had to defeat the Another Rider to save lives and change history for the better. Geiz and Cross-Z punched Another Build back before Zi-O and Build summoned their weapons and struck him with the blades a few times.

 _ **Zikan Girade!**_

 _ **Ken!**_

As they fought, however, Build and Cross-Z could feel their powers fading away as history was being erased. Zi-O knocked back Another Build before noticing their Rider forms fading away.

"Build?" He said in disbelief, "Cross-Z?"

"We're losing our powers…" Tobias stated, "At this rate, we won't be Kamen Riders anymore…"

"No…" Logan said in dismay, knowing it was too late to restore them.

"Don't worry, Logan," Tobias said supportively, "You can do this."

"Just follow your gut and your heart, and you'll make it out of any situation!" Angus exclaimed in a pumped expression, having a good feeling that Logan could do this.

"Go get 'em!" Tobias said with a smile before he and Angus lost their Rider forms. It was official; Kamen Riders Build and Cross-Z were now erased from existence.

"Got it!" Logan said before the ground suddenly felt wet and loose, "Hm?"

Logan looked down, but would soon wish he hadn't as he fell through the now watery ground.

"AAAHHH!" He screamed in panic as he tried to regain his balance in the "water", "Uh, how I hate shark movies!"

Another Build dove into the ground and quickly approached Logan, but not as quickly as Geiz who summoned the Ghost Ridewatch and inserted it into the belt.

 _ **Ghost!**_

 _"Armor Time!"_ Called out as he spun the belt again, summoning the GhostArmor again, _"Parka Change!"_

 _ **ARMOR TIME! Kaigan! GHO~ST!**_

Geiz floated to Zi-O and reluctantly rescued him out of the "water" and onto _solid_ ground. Zi-O knew this meant it would be a while before he went to the beach again as he sighed in relief and Geiz attacked the Another Rider.

"What are you sitting around for?!" Geiz asked as he struck the Another Rider a few times, trying to stop him, "Armor up with the Ridewatch!"

"Hm…?" Zi-O tilted his head before remembering he had the Build Ridewatch, "Of course!"

Logan pulled out the watch and looked at before a familiar voice startled him.

"The Ridewatch will grant you great power, Your Majesty!"

"AH!" Zi-O gasped in shock before asking the prophet with a regained posture, "Woz?! How are you here?! This is 2017!"

"With that watch, you will gain the power of Kamen Rider Build himself," Woz explained with a more wise voice, despite him being abnormally creepy, "And with such power, you will be able to defeat Another Build!"

With that sentence, Logan looked at the watch and then at Geiz, who was still fighting off Another Build. He wondered if he could do the same thing as Geiz with the Build watch. Using Build's power like this, it could stop this monster and save many lives. But was he ready to use the power of one of his predecessors?

"What say you, My Lord?" Woz asked, "Are you ready?"

Logan gave it some thought before rotating the dial and nodding, making his decision, "Yes… I know I can do this!"

Logan activated the watch, making Woz smirk in joy before he inserted it into the left slot of the Ziku-Driver. His friends watched him as he began his latest transformation.

 _ **Build!**_

 _"Armor Time!"_ Zi-O called out before spinning the belt a full 360, making it chime again, _"Build Up!"_

 _ **Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Zi-O!**_

 _ **ARMOR TIME!**_

Just then, a giant FullBottle appeared in front of Logan, summoning a set of armor appeared as soon as it vanished. It resembled Kamen Rider Build's RabbitTank form, but will more metallic armor, a blank visor with nothing to connect the Rabbit ear and Tank barrel, and two Fullbottles on its shoulders; one red on the right, one blue on the left. It had the same spiral patterns as Build on the chest, as well as on the mouthpiece and forehead of the helmet, with red armor on the left thigh, and blue on the right. Next to it was this form's primary weapon - the Drill Crusher Crusher - fist based weapon with a yellow drill about two feet long. Everyone was in awe at the sight of the armor as it posed Kamen Rider Build's signature pose. Logan then tapped the armor in curiosity, making fly apart, startling him. The pieces of the BuildArmor then attack themselves to Zi-O, with the Katakana symbols for "Build" slamming onto the visor.

 ** _Best Match! BUILD~!_**

 _ビルド = "Build"_

Oliver, Zeke, Nikki, and Aelita watched in awe as the Rider Armor attached to Logan. He looked similar to Geiz in his Rider Armor, aside from the color differences; Geiz's Rider Armors were black, while Zi-O's appeared to be more of a metallic silver. Logan felt power and knowledge flowing through mind and body as Tobias looked at him smirked before approaching the new Rider. Just then, Oliver, Zeke and Nikki noticed Aelita's hair and eyes glowing. The eyes somehow turned from magenta to red and blue, alongside her hair color from white. That shocked them all, and questions ran through their minds. However, they would have to wait as Woz spoke up.

 _"Rejoice!"_ Woz called out, with his book opened up again as he introduced Zi-O once again and as Tobias whispered in Logan's ear, in which he returned it with an "okay" sign, _"He is the one to inherit the powers of all Riders! The King who shall rule over all of time and space! The overlord who shall control the past, present and future! He is… Kamen Rider Zi-O: BuildArmor! Bow before your new lord and master as he inherits the powers of a fellow Rider!"_

"The Laws of Victory have been-" Tobias drew his finger above his head before Logan caught up.

"Been decided!" Logan said, repeatedly reaching his left arm out in grabbing motions. Tobias stopped it with a tap to the shoulder. Logan then charged at the Another Rider and swung his drill at him, causing much pain for the fake Rider. Logan seemed to be doing a much better job at dealing with Another Build than before as Woz disappeared again.

"Talk about a copycat ability," Oliver said bluntly as they all watched the fight, hoping Logan would be the victor.

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, he's pretty good with that armor!" Nikki exclaimed in awe before Zeke tapped her shoulder.

"Heh, look at Aelita…" Zeke whispered, gesturing to Aelita, who was holding her hands together in worry.

"Please, stop him, Logan," She said to herself, praying that Logan would not lose while Geiz deactivated his GhostArmor and summoned a bow-like weapon with the Hiragana symbol for Bow on it.

 ** _Zikan Zax!_**

 ** _You! Me!_**

 _ゆみ = "Bow"_

He aimed at Another Build and pulled back on the lever, and just before Another Build could dive in, he shot down by Geiz, canceling out his abilities. Zi-O could tell that the monster was now vulnerable to a new finisher.

"Alright!" He said in a thrilled voice before joking, "I believe your _time_ is up!"

"Time puns, seriously?" Oliver asked with a deadpan look as Zeke, Nikki, Tobias, and Angus all groaned at how painful that pun was. Aelita on the other hand just didn't get it, for she had no idea about a sense of humor.

"Couldn't help it," Logan admitted before facing Tobias and Angus, "I just spin it, right?"

Logan then faced the Another Rider again before mimicking Build's crank turning, summoning equations that had words instead of numbers and variables. They said things like "I know some of this…", "How does that help me here?", and "Very complicated numbers!". Tobias and Angus just stared at him in disappointment.

"Okay, that's definitely not right," Angus said, knowing that Tobias' equations were more intelligent than that.

"Ay-ay-ay…" Tobias groaned in slight disappointment as Logan pressed the buttons on the Ridewatches.

 _ **FINISH TIME! BUILD!**_

As Logan pressed the release button, Geiz pulled out the Cross-Z Ridewatch, activated it…

 _ **Cross-Z!**_

And inserted into the Zikan Zax, charging up a finisher as he aimed at Another Build.

 _ **FINISH TIME!**_

Just then, Zi-O jumped up and landed on a White Energy Chart that appeared from nowhere and carried him as he spun the belt.

 _ **VOLTECH TIME BREAK!**_

Zi-O then uppercutted the Another Rider with the Drill Crusher Crusher, sending him flying into the air, off-balance. Geiz then pulled back on the lever of his weapon before releasing it.

 _ **Cross-Z… KIWA KIWA SHOOT!**_

Once it fired an energy arrow, it took the form of a blue Japanese dragon that struck Another Build before Zi-O turned back around and struck him again, knocking him to the ground. Zi-O landed far in front of Another Build who then exploded, revealing him to be the man who Heure contracted with. Only this time, he wasn't going to be turning back into Another Build, due to his Anotherwatch shattering into pieces. Logan stood up and looked back, seeing that the young man needed help before his friends ran to him in awe.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Oliver shouted in awe as he high-fived Logan, who transformed back.

"Logan, that was amazing," Nikki complemented with a smile.

"I know, right?!" Logan said with a big smile before Aelita suddenly hugged him, making him blush madly. He saw that she was clearly worried about him as seen from the tears on her face. Logan smiled gently as he returned the hug, reassuring her he was okay.

"Dude, wait until our families find out about this," Zeke said, getting a lot of glares in response, "What?"

"Our families will know nothing of this!" Logan said, in which Zeke nodded in understanding. If any of their families found out about either Logan being a Kamen Rider or them being in another species' war, they would all most likely ground them for life, preventing them from even seeing each other. As they continued their conversation, Geiz looked at Logan in disbelief as he changed back to Nathan Gates.

'Is this really Oma Zi-O?' Gates said as he saw the friendly smile on Logan's face as high-fived and fist-bumped his friends, 'He doesn't appear to be the tyrannical type.'

Geiz then frowned in thought that Logan could still become Oma Zi-O, 'Nevertheless, I should keep an eye on him, and his friends as well for that matter.'

Tobias and Angus then approached Logan and Gates, giving them each a thumbs-up, "Thanks for the assistance, both of you!"

"Yeah, future dudes," Angus exclaimed as he pounded his right fist into his left palm, "It wasn't too bad working with you guys!"

"Back at ya," Logan said with a salute.

"Well, we'll see you guys on the flipside," Tobias said as he and Angus started walking home, "I hope we'll see you all again."

"Oh, trust me, you will," Logan said with a chuckle. As they walked away, Nikki spoke up.

"You know, there's still one thing I don't understand," She said, scratching her chin in thought.

"What's that, Nikki?" Oliver asked, all of them looking at her with quirked brows.

"How did Tobias and Angus get those watches in the first place?" Nikki asked, knowing that Tobias and Angus didn't just get them out of thin air.

"That's a good question…" Gates said before looking at Logan, who was thinking before it dawned on him once again.

"Wait a minute…" He said before remembering what Tobias said back in 2018

 _"I believe we should give these back… Take care of our past selves for us."_

"That's it!" Logan snapped his fingers before running to catch Tobias and Angus before they left, confusing his friends and Gates, "Wait!"

"Hold up, what's 'it'?!" Gates inquired as they all followed him.

"Tobias! Angus!" Logan called out catching their attention before catching up to them.

"Yeah, man?" Tobias replied with a quirked brow.

"Here," Logan said as he handed Tobias and Angus some blank Ridewatches, "Take these, you'll know what to do with them in time."

"Uh… thanks?" Angus said in confusion.

"Good luck with you being a scientist, Tobias," Logan wished his new friend luck.

"Scientist?" Tobias echoed in confusion before correcting him, "I'm the lead singer for a high school band."

"Huh?" Logan said in confusion before remembering what happened back in 2018, "Oh, boy,"

"This is Toby Franklin signing off!" Tobias said in a rock and roll tone of voice, making the 'Rock on!' sign with his hands as he walked off, "Thank you all very much!"

"Yo, wait for me, Tobes!" Angus yelled as he caught up with his best friend, "I'm the band's drummer!"

Logan had to chuckle at the sight. Friends going home after saving innocent lives. That was something Logan wanted in his future. However, his dream would have to wait, given that Gates turned him around and grabbed Logan by the collar of his shirt.

"You idiot!" He seethed in anger, "Do you realize what you've just done?! With those watches, Build and Cross-Z will be erased from existence!"

"Maybe… but it was worth it for our future fight against Another Build," Logan said with a straight face, looking at his predecessors walk off one last time, "And for saving a lot of lives today."

"I'm sorry, 'future fight'?" Zeke inquired in confusion, "But you guys just fought him."

"Us now, yes," Logan clarified, "Ourselves from this year, not yet."

"Huh?" Everyone quirked a brow, even more confused at their friend's statement.

"When we went to Trinity City, Tobias said he and Angus should give the watches back," Logan explained as thoroughly as possible, "I assume that's because of the events of today."

"So they gave _you_ those Ridewatches because you gave _them_ the Ridewatches?" Nikki inquired, still confused but getting a better understanding.

"Exactly, Nikki," Logan nodded with a smile.

"Well, I'm pooped for today, let's head home," Zeke said as he stretched his back.

"Agreed!" Everyone said in unison as they went back to the Time Majins. But before they could get in, Aelita felt a vibration in her hand.

"Hm?" She looked down to see something she found in in the Time Majin: a tablet-like device that looked more futuristic than the models today, just like Tsukuyomi's. It seemed to be lighting and vibrating

Logan and the others noticed it and decided to ask her, "Where'd you get that Aelita?"

"I found it in that ship we flew in," She explained as she tried to figure out why it was glowing and vibrating, "It looked interesting so I took it with me."

"It's a Ziku-Pad," Gates explained, "It scans the timeline for any alterations that can range from fixing past mistakes to preventing and causing dangerous tragedies."

Gates then unlocked it for Aelita, and it brought up a news article from 2018, a few days after this all happened. Logan and Aelita read the article and made surprised looks.

"It says here a group of people that went missing in the past year have all turned up out of nowhere and claim they were kidnapped by some sort of monster," Logan read the article out loud, surprising his friends.

"Sounds like Another Build to me, dudes," Zeke assumed.

"My guess with Another Build defeated, the people he took returned," Oliver summed up with a nod.

"Wait, there's something else," Aelita said as she pulled up another article, one from tomorrow, and she read it, she gasped in horror.

"What is it?" Logan asked with concern

"The top of a nearby mountain suddenly explodes due to some kind of unknown IED!"

"The second mountain?" Oliver echoed before remembering yesterday, "Isn't that where that energon crystal is?"

That sentence is what made it dawned on them as they looked at each other.

"THE MAXIMALS!" The yelled in fear, eyes wide as tires.

"We gotta help them!" Logan exclaimed as they all ran to the Time Majins, ready to help out the Maximals. Their actions and words all confused Gates.

"Wait, what are you all talking about?!" Gates yelled as he ran after them, heading to his own Time Majin.

"We'll explain on the way!" Logan exclaimed bluntly as he and others went into the Time Majins and started flying, setting the coordinates back to 2018.

"I've always wanted to say this," Oliver said before exclaiming, "We're going BACK TO THE FUTURE!"

With that quote, everyone jettisoned through time and space, heading back to 2018 to save the Maximals. Tobias and Angus saw them fly by and waved them goodbye before they left.

* * *

 _ **THE ENERGON MOUNTAIN; CALIFORNIA; 2018; 11:02 A.M.**_

* * *

The Predacons had reached their destination, the mountain filled with an enormous amount of pure energon crystals. As they reached the cliff where the crystals were, Megatron laughed a sinister laugh, know this much energon would make him the ultimate lifeform in the galaxy. As soon as Tarantulas could segment it, Megatron and the Predacons can take it back to their wrecked ship, so they can use it to power their most devastating weapons. Of course, they would have to get rid of the Maximals.

"So much energon… yess…!" Megatron said as he licked his T-Rex lips with his cybernetic tongue, "I can almost taste its power!"

"I wouldn't consider doing that, Megatron," Tarantulas warned him to be cautious, knowing the dangers of being in close contact with this much energon, "The energon fields will destroy us as robots in less than a minute! We will have to stay in beast mode! And Optimus and the Maximals are coming!"

"Do not be worried, Tarantulas," Megatron shook his head confidently, "They must stay in beast form as well, and I will handle Optimus… personally…"

"We're here!" Optimus called out. Unfortunately for the Preds, the Maximals were there as well. The Maximals entered the main area of the crystals, being cautious not to make it explode. As the crew scanned the area for the Predacons, they also admired the beauty of these crystals, knowing they will be useful in the fight against Megatron.

"So much energon," Cheetor said in awe, mouth open wide.

"Eh, dis will be enough to power our equipment for years!" Rattrap said enthusiastically.

"Be on the lookout!" Optimus ordered, knowing this was no time to celebrate, "Megatron and the Predacons are sure to be nearby!"

"How right you are!" The fiendish voice of the Predacon leader called out. Then a few small blemishes appeared from behind the cliff and crystals: the Predacons. The Maximals and Predacons glared at each other, know that they would have to duke it out in beast mode for this one. They all hissed, roared, growled or snarled at each other, one trying to intimidate the other as Megatron spoke first.

"Across the galaxy, through time and space, it has come to this, Optimus Primal," Megatron said, making Optimus glare at him, "Face to face, tooth to claw, yess… Have you anything to say?"

"I'd say that's Prime," Optimus replied before yelling, "LET'S DO IT!"

The two sides then charged at each other as they roared out their animalistic roars. The two sides collided at tackled each other, trying to take each other down and out. Megatron got hit the eye, so his vision was to blurry to see Optimus uppercut him in the jaw, almost knocking him out to the ground. Waspinator was hovering above Cheetor, as if taunting the young Maximal, who returned the favor by jumping and pouncing on the insect, taking him down to the ground. Dino-Bot was locked in battle against Scorponok, trying to bite the Predacon's second in command, only to wind up getting whacked in the face by one of his claws. Rhinox charged at Terrorsaur, only to have the scout move out of the way and have him run into a boulder, breaking it in half. Tarantulas tried to grab and sink his fangs into Rattrap, but the small Maximal jumped and landed on top of him, pulling on his mandibles to cause him pain. After Dino-Bot recovered, Scroponok snapped his claws at him and got a biting jaw in response as Megatron tackled Optimus to the ground, trying to bite his neck. Optimus was having a hard time trying to escape his situation given the weight of Megatron's beast mode, but luckily he was strong enough to keep the Predacon commander from killing him.

"Admit defeat, Maximal!" Megatron demanded, "The energon is ours!"

"Not… if I… can help it!" Optimus declined as he through Megatron behind him, trapping him between two rocks and a hard place.

"Surrender, Megatron, you're trapped!" Optimus demanded as Megatron tried to break free.

"No! You shall _not_ defeat me!" Megatron declared with a roar before breaking free and charging full speed ahead at Optimus. Optimus grabbed Megatron by the head, hoping to slow him down, only wound up getting rammed into a rock wall back first before Megatron bit down on his leg.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Optimus screamed in pain before knocking the T-Rex off of him to the ground.

The gorilla then grabbed the Predacon by the tail and started swinging him around and around before throwing him off into the distance.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Megatron screamed landing on the ground hard, severely injuring him and his systems, and becoming disoriented. At first, Optimus thought he had finished it, but saw Megatron's mechanical eye open and stare at him he tried to take a step forward.

"Ugh!" Optimus gasped as he fell onto his rear, feeling pain where Megatron bit him, "It is over, Megatron…!"

"IT IS NEVER OVER! NOO!" Megatron denied as he foolishly changed to robot mode and already started glitching out, "For if I… must die… I shall take you all… with me!"

Megatron then fired two missiles at Optimus, who braced himself for the worst. That was before Dino-Bot swooped it and knocked one of the missiles off-course, barely missing Optimus and heading away from the mountain. As for the second one, well… neither Optimus nor Dino-Bot would be able to react in time.

 _ **Time Majin!**_

Just then, the Time Majins came out of nowhere knocked the second missile off course, saving Optimus' chassis.

"WHAT!?" Megatron said in shock as every Predacon and Maximal stared at the Time Majins, and out came Logan, his friends, and Gates, who was in utter shock at the sight.

"Didn't see that one coming, did you?" Logan asked playfully, surprising the Maximals.

"Logan?!" Optimus said in shock and confusion.

"We're back!" Oliver called out as they exited the Time Majin.

"What kind of people do you hang out with?" Gates asked as he saw the different animals.

"Oh, trust me, we just met them all last night," Logan said before Megatron glared at him.

"You…" He simmered in anger, wanting a little payback for Logan's actions toward him, "You will not… get in my way… filth!"

"Pfft, talk about rude!" Logan stated as he and Gates got their Ridewatches, "Time to teach you a lesson in manners!"

The two Riders then activated their watches…

 _ **Zi-O! Build!**_

 _ **Geiz! Cross-Z!**_

Inserted them into the belt and began their transformations!

 _"Build Up! Henshin!"_

 _"Burn it Up! Henshin!"_

 ** _Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Zi-O!_**

 ** _ARMOR TIME!_**

 ** _Best Match! BUILD~!_**

 ** _Rider Time! Kamen Rider~ Geiz!_**

 ** _ARMOR TIME!_**

 ** _Wake Up Burning! CROSS-Z!_**

The Rider Armors were summoned, with Cross-Z's looking similar to Build's but with navy blue armor with orange flames, an orange dragon head on his forehead, spiked forearm gauntlets, and two Cross-Z Dragons as shoulder armor, with the yellow symbols for 'Cross-Z' on the visors.

 _くろーず = "Cross-Z"_

The Maximals and Predacons were in even more shock than before as they resembled two heroes in Cybertronian history…

"BUILD!?" The Maximals shouted.

"CROSS-Z!?" The Predacons shouted.

"Armor of them, actually!" Oliver explained bluntly.

"I'm not gonna let you conquer Earth, Megatron!" Logan proclaimed, pointing at Megatron with his drill weapon, "As its future king, I will protect it with my life from people like you!"

"Future… king?!" Those words confused Megatron even further as he felt weaker and weaker.

"Let's finish this already!" Zi-O said in determination before he and Geiz pressed the buttons on the Ridewatches and the belt.

 _ **FINISH TIME! BUILD! CROSS-Z!**_

The two jumped into the air as they spun their belts, preparing to finish off Megatron. Optimus knew what would happen if Logan and Gates were to do so, "Logan, wait!"

 _ **VOLTECH TIME BREAK!**_

 _ **DRAGONIC TIME BURST!**_

"SAYONARA!" Zi-O shouted as the two performed Rider kicks that hit Megatron.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Megatron yelled in absolute pain as he was sent reeling back into a pile of crystals, shutting him down… hopefully for good…

Just then the crystals started vibrating from the sound and impact force from the attack. That sound was one that was most definitely not good.

"Uh, whoops…" Logan gulped, feeling like he just did something they would all come to regret.

"Please tell me that doesn't mean…" Oliver pleaded.

"IT'S GONNA BLOW!" Rhinox yelled.

"Uh… how big will the explosion get?!" Zeke asked in worry.

"Judging by a crystal this size…" Rhinox said, doing the calculations in his head, "1.547 miles in radius!"

"Ah, crap!" Zeke cursed… why did this stuff always happen to him?

"Time to fade, heroes!" Cheetor proclaimed as he and the others started running, hoping to avoid the explosion. The Predacons also retreated, leaving Megatron to his untimely doom. Zi-O, Geiz, and the others followed the Maximals, not wanted to be vaporized in less than a minute.

"Oh!" Aelita gasped as she tripped, feeling her ankle twist in pain, catching Logan's attention.

"Aelita!" He yelled in shock before running back to her.

"Logan, come on!" Oliver said, urging his friend to leave now.

"Not without Aelita!" Logan stated as he got closer to her and sounds got worse, "You guys just go!"

"But-!" Oliver said but was cut off.

"JUST GO ALREADY!" Logan yelled at his friend, making him oblige and head off the mountain with the Maximals. He then reached Aelita and helped her up.

"I got you!" Logan said as he held her bridal style and charged up his Rabbit foot, "Hang on tight!"

"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Megatron yelled as the Maximals hitched a ride on the Time Majins, getting out of range. Optimus saw Logan rescuing Aelita, and wanted to go after them, but it was too late; they were already out of range before the crystal exploded.

Everyone in or near Divinity City could hear and/or see the explosion, especially those who lived in the rural district.

"What the hell was that?!" One of the civilians shouted, pointing the direction of the energon explosion.

Rose and her great uncle Robert were shopping for groceries when it happened. The moment they heard the explosion, they turned to see it, and their eyes widened in fear, hoping that neither Logan nor his friends were near there.

"Oh, no," Rose quivered in fear, her hand covering her mouth, "Lord, please don't let my brother be there!"

"Logan…" Robert said, fear running through his mind, "Please, be safe… I can't lose you like I lost your father…"

The uncle and niece hugged each other, hoping that Logan and his friends would be safe. Back with the Maximals and the others, they managed to escape the blast radius of the energon and watched it as the mountain practically fell apart. Everyone took cover to avoid falling rocks. Once the dust cleared, Optimus turned to Dino-Bot right next to him.

"Thanks for the save," He thanked the former Predacon, referring to him knocking one of Megatron's missiles off-course.

"My action did not imply loyalty, Optimus," Dino-Bot clarified, with the desire to be leader of the Maximals being clear in his voice, "I owed you my life. Now, we are merely… even."

"I'll accept that," Optimus nodded before turning back to the now destroyed mountain, thinking of Logan who saved his life, "But I still can't believe Logan came back for us."

"Logan…" Oliver said as he, Zeke and Nikki stared at the mountain in disbelief. Logan had stayed behind to help Aelita, but they all feared they never got out before the explosion. Cheetor approached the cliff, looking at the mountain in equal disbelief. It appeared two of his newfound friends were gone.

"No…" Oliver said in denial, dropping to his knees in sorrow.

"He's… he's gone…" Nikki sniffled as she began to tear up.

"Aelita too," Zeke said as he began to tear up as well, "I know we just met her, but… I feel like we just lost more than one friend…"

"Your friend died bravely," Optimus said, trying to lighten their spirits, knowing the loss of their friend was devastating to the children, "Because of him, we wouldn't be here. And the Key won't be in Megatron's hands."

"Your friend died fighting," Dino-Bot added, "The most honorable way to die."

"At least the future will change for the better," Gates said as he crossed his arms, making Nikki glare at him.

"It's like I can still hear his voice…" Oliver cried a bit.

"Incoming…" A distant voice called out.

"Wow, I hear it, too…" Zeke said before hearing it again.

"Incoming!" The same voice made their heads lift up in confusion, wondering where the sound was coming from. Cheetor looked around the area and saw something on his scope heading their way.

"Wait a cycle!" Cheetor exclaimed before telling everyone, "Everyone, optics upward!"

Everyone obliged and saw something emerging from the smoke heading their way fast. They all could make out a figure with metallic silver armor with red and blue patterns and magenta visor… it was Logan! He must've jumped using his Rabbit foot to launch himself off the mountain, with explosion giving him a boost.

"It's Logan…!" Oliver said in disbelief, this time with a smile as he rose and jumped in happiness, "IT'S FRICKIN' LOGAN, DUDES!"

"HAHA!" Cheetor roared in awe and joy, glad his new friend was alive, "SWEET SERVOS, HE'S ALIVE!"

"INCOMING!" Logan shouted as he was heading right for them.

"And coming in hot…" Nikki clarified before yelling, "GET DOWN!"

Everyone ducked out of the way as Logan landed a hard landing before coming to a stop. As soon as he stopped, everyone ran to see if he was alright, following the trail he had left behind during his crash. They all looked into the crater, but couldn't see anything at first due to the smoke… _before_ a hand rose from the crater and grabbed the edge of it, lifting Logan up, changed back to his human form.

"Oh…" He groaned in pain, coughing out a puff of smoke, "Remind me… never to do that again…"

Seeing their friend alive made everyone except for Gates and Dino-Bot smile and laugh in excitement as Oliver spoke, "Haha, I knew you'd make it!"

"Where's Aelita?" Nikki asked, worried the Key didn't make it. Luckily, her question was answered by Logan lifting Aelita up from the crater.

"I'm okay," Aelita said before blushing, "Thanks to Logan."

"Logan!" A familiar voice spoke up, and everyone turned to see Tsukuyomi running towards them, "Gates!"

"Tsukuyomi!" Gates called out as she stopped in front of him, concerned for everyone.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked.

"We're fine," Logan answered, making her see not only him, but the Maximals as well.

"Who are they?" She inquired, looking at the various animals alongside them.

"Oh, right… I believe we should start with introductions," Logan said with a playful smack to the forehead, "Nathan, Tsukuyomi, meet the Maximals. Maximals, meet Tsukuyomi and Nathaniel Gates."

"The two humans from the future you told us about?" Cheetor asked in surprise.

"First of all, just call me Gates," Gates clarified before glaring at Logan, "Secondly, you told them about us?"

"Well, these guys _are_ from the future, too, just a bit further, I think," Logan specified before smiling at the Maximals, "Plus, they can be trusted."

"Some of which more than others, man," Oliver whispered, referring to Dino-Bot who just growled at them.

"Thank you, both of you, for your help," Optimus said lowering himself to speak with Logan, "And sorry for leaving you back there, Logan."

"You didn't leave me, Optimus," Logan corrected, "I chose to stay and help Aelita."

"Nevertheless, you were willing to risk your own life to help us," Optimus said. He admitted that Logan was strong and brave despite the dangers he was involved with. And the fact that he was willing to fight against evil forces for the sake of freedom and all things good appealed to the Maximal commander, making him smile and feeling like they should join them in their fight against Megatron.

"Hey! We helped too, you know!" Oliver shouted out, feeling left out, "If it weren't for us, these two wouldn't have found the shortest path to you guys!"

"Hehe, of course, Oliver," Optimus chuckled, "You, Zeke and Nikki showed great courage in facing evil despite knowing how dangerous it can be."

The group of friends felt humbled by Optimus' words. Apparently, Optimus might seem hard on others, but he really cares for their safety. Of course, Optimus didn't stop there.

"That's why I've decided that all of you can be a bigger help to us… as the first of the human race to be welcomed as Maximals," He said surprising everyone there, especially the human teens.

"Seriously?!" Logan and his friends exclaimed in unison.

"Seriously," Optimus nodded, only for the friends to look at each other.

"Guys, huddle up!" Logan said before they all huddled up again, discussing if they should take Optimus up on that offer. After a minute or two, the friends broke the conversation turned back to Optimus with determined smiles.

"We'd be honored, Optimus," Logan said, making the commander smile.

"Well then, welcome to the Maximals…" Optimus said, "Logan Briggs; Kamen Rider Zi-O, Oliver Shepard, Zeke Bishop and Nikki Bishop."

Gates and Tsukuyomi all just looked at them with looks of disbelief. Logan couldn't be Oma Zi-O, he was too, friendly to become someone like that. Especially if he allies himself with alien robot animals. Nevertheless, they thought it was best to keep a watchful eye on Logan, his friends, and the Maximals, especially Dino-Bot. Aelita was overjoyed at this moment, knowing she would be able to see Logan and the others more often as she hugged them. Rattrap, however, just had to break the mood by speaking up.

"Yeah, well, I don't think dat's necessary, Boss Monkey, cuz Megatron's gone and so is the energon, so it's over!" He said in a glad tone before whining, "Can we go home now?"

"No, Rattrap," Optimus said, shaking his head as he clarified the situation, "Our ship is beyond repair from getting out of here, so, for now, we're stranded here with the Predacons on this familiar yet unknown planet. Megatron may be back, and there is still more energon. If they ever get enough, or get their hands on Aelita, they could not only conquer this world, but the entire galaxy."

"That is if Oma Zi-O doesn't destroy it first," Gates muttered.

"We can hear you, Gates!" Oliver seethed with a glare as Optimus continued his speech, looking at everyone and then beyond the mountains. A whole new world was completely unaware of what was happening and probably won't stay that way for much longer.

"So, for now, let the battle be here, on this strange new world. And let it be called… uh…" Optimus was stumped on what to call it before Oliver walked over to him and whispered an idea into the gorilla's ear. Everyone stared at them in puzzlement as to what Oliver said before Optimus shot his right fist into the air and shouted…

 _"BEAST WARS!"_

The Maximals liked that that name so much, they roared as loud as they could, echoing into the distance as Logan and his friends cheered them on. Meanwhile, from a distance, Woz was reading the book he had, informing us of what might happen next.

 _"And thus, Zi-O obtained the power of Kamen Rider Build, allied himself with beings from a planet called Cybertron, and proceeds onto his path of conquest as the supreme ruler of time, Oma Zi-O,"_ He read, _"His journey has only just begun, and he has already made enemies from the past, present, and future. However, his meeting with another legend and his own allies is already at hand."_

Little did the Maximals and the humans know they were being watched by the same shadowy figure from before. The light without cover revealed his true face, wearing a black leather jacket with a dark violet symbol resembling an old man's face with horns, with black veins that covered his body. His eyes were as dark as the night as they are worn by someone whose face resembled that of… Tobias?

"So… he desires to be king, these new Transformers show up, and this new Rider now has Tobias' power?" 'Tobias' said, scratching his chin, dark thoughts running through his brain, alongside revenge, "Interesting… I will have to keep close and patiently await my time to strike… hahahahaha…"

The dark figure laughed, unaware that he wasn't the only one watching Logan and the Maximals. A group of people dressed like Woz watched them from a cave in a nearby by the mountain.

"So, he's the "me" who shall inherit all Rider Powers and become Oma Zi-O?" A man whose face was covered by darkness inquired, wearing a red regal uniform. He was most likely the man in charge.

"Yes, My Liege," A man with dark brown hair and a faint beard replied with a bow.

"Ha, how pathetic," He seethed with pride, "A Rider born in the Heisei Era is a mere abomination that needs to be dealt with, Kagen. Especially if they befriend inferior robotic beings that can never _truly_ feel."

"Then shall we strike now, Logan Briggs?" A younger man with dark hair asked for permission as the leader revealed his face, appearing to have every genetic trait Logan had, only older.

"Not quite yet, Jogen," He said with the shake of his head, "We will wait for our time to strike, and when it comes, we shall bring all Heisei Riders to their ultimate end…"

Kagen and Jogen then bowed in respect before standing by their master as he sat on some kind of throne, guarded by others.

"You better know what you're doing, Woz…" 'Logan' said in doubt before exclaiming, "Move out! Keep an eye on him and his friends; if they find out about us, you all know what to do!"

"Yes, Our Liege!" They called out as they all vanished via the use of time travel, to keep an eye on Logan and the others, not wanting any interference with their plans.

"Good, because we…" He said as a flash of light appeared from the throne, "We are Quartzer, the Wardens of History!"

He then vanished alongside the light, waiting for his time to strike.

* * *

 _ **OMA ZI-O'S LAIR; 2068**_

* * *

Back at the statue of Logan and the Riders, Oma Zi-O was staring at it before memories came flowing into his mind. Memories he had not remembered for a _long_ time.

"Hmm…" He muttered, "I see my younger self has met my old allies. And… Aelita…"

He pulled out the locket watch he had kept with him all these years and sighed, a part of him feeling sad about not having his friends with him. More memories then appeared, ones about all the enemies he had faced in the past, and that his younger self shall face.

"And apparently, he will face many challenges along the way…" He said to himself, "Megatron and the Predacons, the Time Jackers and Another Riders, demons, monsters, past enemies of the Legend Riders… Quartzer… Tobias Nemesis… Another Decade and… Alpina…"

Oma Zi-O sighed before scoffing as he put away the watch, looking out into the destroyed world.

"No matter," He said, "As I said, they cannot change the inevitable future. No matter how many times they change the past, or how many friends or enemies they have made. Isn't that right, Night Slash?"

Just then, a techno-organic cheetah with a missile launcher on his back appeared next to him and growled. Oma Zi-O petted Night Slash, in which the cheetah purred in response as he spoke up again.

"My ascension to my rightful place on the throne of time has begun…" He began…

"And _no one_ can stop me…"

 _ **A/N: Hey guys, sorry I wasn't punctual, but hey, the chapter's here. Now, I bet you're all wondering who the shadowy figure watching them was… his name is Tobias Nemesis, a dark energon Cybertronian clone of Tobias and an antagonist who will make his official debut in Build Up and Roll Out, Zi-O: Time of the Beast Wars, and the Zero-One X Beast Machines story. He will be known as Kamen Rider Nemesis and the rest of his story will be revealed in Build Up and Roll Out. In the meantime, I will be working on the Beast Machines crossover. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you all later! Fanficmaster2.0 signing off!**_


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